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2013/10/25 | 1,829 | 7,893 | <issue_start>username_0: **A confession first**: This was our first attempt at a journal paper.
**The story so far:**
We had submitted our work for possible publication with a reputed journal in our area. Some time later, while the review was still on, I checked out whether this journal allowed self-archiving of author's version of the paper. Feeling glad that it did (and being quite confident that our paper *will* get accepted), we decided to upload our pre-print on arXiv.
**And now...**
The decision arrived from the journal. It was a reject. Amongst the other things written by the reviewers, one of the points happens to be:
>
> ...I am a bit concerned with what appears to be the same paper
> published and made available from: arxiv.org/xxx/yyy. I would
> recommend that the authors clarify this potential duplication.
>
>
>
I do not think that this was the only reason for rejection, but might have contributed to it.
**My questions:**
I know I did a mistake due my lack of awareness of the proper rules. How to rectify my mistake?
Should I consider that this work of mine cannot be published to any conference/journal since its pre-print happens to *arXived* already?
As far as I understand, arXiv does not allow us to remove papers. I can request a withdrawal, but even then the previous version(s) will remain available online (for any future reviewers to bug us).
What is the best course of action for me?
---
**update based on answer by @F'x:**
Adding this from the Journal's website, [Guide for authors](http://www.elsevier.com/journals/computers-security/0167-4048/guide-for-authors) page:
>
> Copyright is retained by the Publisher. Submission of an article implies that the paper has not been published previously; that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out; and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: **Update**: I clarified the answer, as username_2 correctly pointed out that the last part was not related. Sorry, I wrote the answer before having my morning coffee.
Given that the journal allows self-archiving of the preprint on arXiv (as you reported), I don't think this was a reason for rejection. Reviewers may not know all the journal's rules (not professional behavior, but it happens). The editor, on the other hand, is supposed to know the policies. You can still clarify this with that journal's editor.
Now, your "issue" is that you have your article on arXiv and this preprint cannot disappear. There is nothing wrong in having your manuscript there, as posting a preprint on arXiv has the benefit to make your work more visible. You are supposed to gather feedback on your study by posting your preprint there.
Now, there are two cases, according to how your article was published in arXiv.
If you decided to employ [arXiv non-exclusive license to distribute](http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/license.html), you are in the best position to submit your article to any another journal. If the journal wants "original articles", it does not necessarily mean that it does not welcome a preprint on arXiv. Journals usually make a distinction on this, if any. In any case, you *could mention the preprint existence in the cover letter*. It is an act of transparency in any case.
If you chose a CC license, be very sure to make a pre-inquiry with the journal editor in chief. As much as I love CC licenses, non Open Access journals may not like that people will be allowed to create derivate works out of your preprint (i.e., much of your article).
If your target journal has a clear policy against arXiv and other non-institutional preprint servers, most likely you have to switch journal for this paper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The answer to your question **depends on the exact details of the journal's policy** (and it would be good for you to quote them exactly, or give us a link). More precisely, it depends not only on the journal's policy regarding self-archiving, but more importantly on the **journal's policy on prior publication**.
I know that might sound weird, but these are actually two separate questions. Self-archiving is a question of copyright, a legal issue: it's a question of what rights you retain (and what rights you transfer) according to the agreement you have with the journal's publisher. This copyright agreement is not something that influences the peer review process, it only governs what you agree with the publisher *should they actually accept to publish your paper*. (The agreement is void if the paper will not be published, obviously.)
Now, the **journal's policy on prior publication is not a legal issue, it is a question of scientific (or editorial) policy. It is decided by the journal's editorial board, and should be explicitly spelt out in its guidelines for authors**, journal policies or another similarly titled document. Some journals, like those of the American Chemical Society, have a very [strict policy on prior publication](http://pubs.acs.org/page/jacsat/submission/prior.html):
>
> The *Journal of the American Chemical Society* considers for publication only original work that **has not been previously published** and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. When submitting a manuscript, an author **should inform the editor of any prior dissemination of the content in print or electronic format**. This includes electronic posting of conference presentations, posters, and **preprints on institutional repositories and any other Web sites**. **Any content that has been made publicly available**, either in print or electronic format, and that contains a significant amount of new information, if made part of a submitted manuscript, **may jeopardize the originality of the submission and may preclude consideration for publication**.
>
>
>
Thus, this journal would reject any manuscript that was posted on arXiv (or anywhere else), because it is not considered *original material*.
---
**Now, what about you?** Well, you have to find out what your journal's policy is, and act accordingly. If the journal policy forbids prior publication, then accept that you made a mistake, find a journal that doesn't have such requirements (it depends on fields, but it should not be too difficult), and submit it there.
On the other hand, if the journal policy does not forbid such prior publication, then you only made a smaller mistake: not informing the editor. Thus, if you want to appeal the rejection, you may want to write an apologetic letter to the editor with that information (along with answering the other comments of the reviewers). As you say that this was not the main reason for the rejection, I wouldn't advise appealing though (chances of success are very slim).
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: While you may not have done anything wrong, violating a journal's preprint publication policy is a big deal. In fact it is such a big deal that if you did something wrong and this was the reason for rejecting the paper, the editor would have told you off in no uncertain terms. More likely the editor got a recommendation of "reject" from one or more reviewers, quickly looked at the reviews and decided that the decision was warranted and forwarded on the decision. The editor's review of the reviews may have been so cursory that he/she didn't even notice the comment about the arXiv preprint.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Maybe too late to answer. You can check the archiving policy of journal here <http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/search.php>
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/10/26 | 337 | 1,443 | <issue_start>username_0: I am currently doing final year project on a subject which I did not have a very good grade(I took three courses in this subject with grade A-, A and B+, only top 5-10% can earn a grade of A and A+). I am quite interested in it and plan to continue in this subject in graduate school. Will this grade have bad effect for my application? Can I indicate my interest clearly in my PS given that my grade is not perfect?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't believe there is a serious stigma associated with an undergraduate getting a B+ in a graduate-level course. It is generally understood that undergraduates taking true graduate-level work (with graduate-level course numbers, etc.) are taking exceptionally advanced subjects, relative to their own preparation. Therefore, it is entirely understandable that you might have an A-, B+, or even a B in a graduate-level subject without it having a strong impact on your chances for graduate-school admissions. Exceptionally weak performance (corresponding to "failing" grades—usually C+ or lower) would be an exception to this, but I see no reason here why you should worry too much.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: One solution to this would be to ask the instructor of the course to write one of your letters of recommendation. If you were indeed performing at a graduate-level while still an undergrad, then he or she should note this in his/her letter.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/10/26 | 681 | 2,566 | <issue_start>username_0: I've heard a claim recently that GRE scores correlate more strongly with family income levels rather than academic success. Is there any validity to this claim? Does anyone know of any study correlating GRE scores with this factor?<issue_comment>username_1: According to [this article](http://www.fairtest.org/facts/gre.htm) on the *Fair Test* website,
>
> The GRE is particularly susceptible to the influence of socioeconomic class. ETS' own research has shown a strong relationship between family background and test scores. One study of applicants who scored between 750 and 800 on the exam found that only 4% of these high-scoring test-takers had fathers who had not completed high school; around half had fathers with bachelor's degrees or more, and of these, a whopping 90% had fathers with graduate or professional degrees. **When family income was held constant, most of the test score differences between races disappeared or shrank dramatically.**
>
>
>
The correlation between GRE scores and future academic success is much lower, according to the same source.
>
> The ability of the GRE to predict first-year graduate grades is incredibly weak, according to data from the test's manufacturer. In one ETS study of 12,000 test takers, the exam accounted for a mere 9% of the differences (or variation) among students' first-year grades.2 Undergraduate grades proved to be a stronger predictor of academic success, explaining 14% of the variation in graduate school grades. An independent non-ETS study found an even weaker relationship between test scores and academic achievement - **just 6% of the variation in grades could be predicted by GRE scores**.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Another article from *The Atlantic*: [The problem with GRE](http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/the-problem-with-the-gre/471633/)
>
> ETS studies have also concluded the GRE particularly underpredicts for women over 25, who represent more than half of female test-takers. Research from as far back as the 1960s leads experts to believe that the inconsistencies in GRE performance trace to a combination of factors including access to coaching, a disparity in educational opportunities that better prepare some students for the test, the content of the test, the way students are tested, and even the student’s own insecurities regarding race and gender. Sternberg puts it bluntly: “**The GRE is a proxy for asking ‘Are you rich?’ ‘Are you white?’ ‘Are you male?’**”
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/27 | 422 | 2,003 | <issue_start>username_0: I am applying to teaching jobs at small liberal arts colleges. They typically ask for the standard things: cover letter, CV, research statement and teaching statement. I feel as though a compilation of student comments and data taken from students in my classes (rating my enthusiasm and preparedness in particular) makes my application much stronger. After all, these are the types of things people look for when it comes to tenure review, so why not for a job application? My question is:
Is it inappropriate to include such additional materials in a teaching application?<issue_comment>username_1: Unless the call clearly states that nothing more must be included you should do so. As you correctly identified such information provides insights into you success in teaching. An option could be to simply include a summary in the CV or make it part of the teaching statement, as support that your teaching ideas produce good results. In short, add the material but make sure it is condensed and clearly structured. I have added such material to applications (for promotion in my case) and had someone sign off that the summary reflects the material on which it is based.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This would be appropriate as long as the call does not clearly discourage supplementary information (e.g. by saying that you should only include reseach and teaching statements + CV), and could strengthen your application, especially when applying to a teaching position. However, only include summary scores (such as %-students satisfied or student test results), and maybe one or two student comments. However, I would be hesitant to include comments altogether, since it is obvious that these might have been cherry-picked. A quantitative summary is much more informative. Do not include lengthy appendicies of raw evaluation data (which I've seen in applications), since this will only add clutter and make your application appear less professional.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/27 | 444 | 2,089 | <issue_start>username_0: I am going to apply for the masters program in computer science to various US based universities. I am eager to apply to their professional courses which do not have thesis/projects in their curriculum, commonly known as MEng and MCS programs. These courses are more inline with the industry needs and that is where I eventually want to go after graduation.
As an international applicant if I apply to a program stating that I want to get a job in US because of better opportunities and doing masters there would help me in achieving my goal would it be frowned upon by the admission committee? How else can some convince that this is the right program for him?<issue_comment>username_1: Unless the call clearly states that nothing more must be included you should do so. As you correctly identified such information provides insights into you success in teaching. An option could be to simply include a summary in the CV or make it part of the teaching statement, as support that your teaching ideas produce good results. In short, add the material but make sure it is condensed and clearly structured. I have added such material to applications (for promotion in my case) and had someone sign off that the summary reflects the material on which it is based.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This would be appropriate as long as the call does not clearly discourage supplementary information (e.g. by saying that you should only include reseach and teaching statements + CV), and could strengthen your application, especially when applying to a teaching position. However, only include summary scores (such as %-students satisfied or student test results), and maybe one or two student comments. However, I would be hesitant to include comments altogether, since it is obvious that these might have been cherry-picked. A quantitative summary is much more informative. Do not include lengthy appendicies of raw evaluation data (which I've seen in applications), since this will only add clutter and make your application appear less professional.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/27 | 1,292 | 5,251 | <issue_start>username_0: I am writing a paper, need some review. I want to send it to IEEE, without the name of my co-authors. I might get acceptance. I need to know, in that case, will I be allowed to add my co-authors or not?<issue_comment>username_1: In general this depends on the conference regulations, so the advice is to check them.
Usually you must put information about all authors before the submission deadline. For instance, [here are the rules](https://edas.info/doc/authors.html) on EDAS submission system regarding this matter.
>
> You can add other authors later and you can change the order of
> authors. Note that some conferences do not allow that you add or
> delete authors after the submission deadline, to prevent that authors
> try to defeat the conflict-of-interest detection mechanisms by
> omitting authors.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> *I am writing a paper, need some review. I want to send it to IEEE, without the name of my co-authors.*
>
>
>
Short answer: **Hell no!**
---
Depending on the editorial policies of the venue you submit, they may or may not allow to add co-authors during the review process. Some may even accept you to add co-authors after acceptance of the paper.
However, note that in all cases, **it is unethical not to have a correct/honest list of co-authors** at time of the first submission. **All persons who have made significant scientific (or “intellectual”) contributions to the work should be co-authors** in the submitted version of the paper.
“Hiding” co-authors during the first submission, even if you intend to add them at a later point, is a clear ethical violation. It probably also violates the journal's (or conference's) policy, which typically stresses the importance of having an appropriate authors' list (and even sometimes provides criteria for authorship).
The reason that editors may allow you to add authors is for special cases or circumstances. The main reason why it would be used is when, during revision of the work to address reviewers' comments, someone who wasn't a co-author of the initial manuscript has been brought onto the team. For example, if you asked someone to run some extra analyses and his contribution warrants authorship of the revised manuscript.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_3: I agree with username_2's answer, but let me expand on it a little: intentionally submitting a paper without listing your coauthors is a potentially career-ending mistake. If I caught you doing that at a journal I edit (or as a referee), I would fully inform everyone - your coauthors, department head, university administration, etc. - and I expect it would lead to severe consequences, such as expulsion from grad school or tenure denial. Ethical violations vary in how serious they are, and deliberately omitting coauthors is among the most serious.
Even if you confess and ask for your coauthors to be added, people may not believe you always planned to add them. Instead, some people will suspect that you initially intended to take all the credit but lost your nerve or feared getting caught. You may know that was never your plan, but your word won't mean much when you're already confessing to something unethical.
It will be even worse if you get caught during the process. For example, one of the referees might already be aware of who is involved in this work, or might even be a coauthor. If they turn you in, you'll be in a particularly bad situation.
In either case, your coauthors will likely be furious with you. They presumably don't think the paper is ready to submit (if they do, then you should submit it with their names on it!), and they also don't want it circulated with just your name on it. Regardless of the journal's policies, you'll have to answer to your coauthors.
Even if you manage to salvage your career, this will stay with you forever. In short, don't do it.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: As @username_2 and @AnonymousMathematician said, don't do that by any means.
If you feel there is some good reason that @Suresh cannot find then on the basis of that reason you can request a [double-blind review](http://www.computer.org/portal/web/peerreviewjournals/author#aui_3_2_0_1225).
Due to the way you worded the question, my guess is that you don't have good reasons to do that. You should agree with your co-authors whether you want to send a paper or not before sending it for review.
Besides of the ethical reasons provided, there could be legal consequences, AFAIK you are not the holder of the copyright of what your co-authors did, and if you disclose, publish or attempt to publish some information without their consent then they could start legal actions. If you had their consent, holding their names for the review would be very dodgy and ruin your reputation.
Therefore, to answer the question: "will I be allowed to add my co-authors or not?", the answer is "no", and it doesn't really matter if you try to add them or omit them, this has many chances of backfiring in a dreadful way. Hopefully you didn't send it already, if you did and no review was started then withdraw it asap. If the reviews started, then start to apologize deeply to everybody.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/27 | 1,023 | 3,480 | <issue_start>username_0: What are the typical (median or maybe third quartile) scores on the math subject GRE for successful applicants to a math program at the PhD level, in applied math, at a Group 2 or Group 31 school?
1This is a ranking system the American Mathematical Society uses for graduate programs. Generally, Group 1 schools are considered the best, while Group 2 and 3 schools tend to be smaller and less prestigious.<issue_comment>username_1: This may not exactly answer your question though... Below are "official" statistics for two group-one (?) pure math programs. Note that whether a score is "acceptable" might also depend on whether you are domestic student or not (based on the Ohio State data).
(Since my reputation is too low to add more than two links in an answer, I can't provide more information at present. But I'll definitely update this answer once my reputation grows...)
Ohio State University: <http://www.math.osu.edu/graduate/apply>
"There are no a-priori minimum scores for the test set by our program. However, admissions become rare below the 50th percentile. The distribution of percentiles of subject test scores of Ph.D.-applicants we admitted between 2009 and 2012 is depicted below.
The data over the four admission cycles includes 125 domestic (in red) and 129 international (in pink) applicants. **The median percentile for domestic students is 67, the one for international students is 95.**"
University of Pennsylvania: <http://www.math.upenn.edu/grad/graddata.html>
"**Scores on the Advanced Math Subject Test of the GRE should be at least 750**, though applicants with somewhat lower scores may be admitted if the rest of their application is sufficiently strong. **The average GRE scores of the students who entered our Ph.D. program** in the recent past were: Verbal: 597; Quantitative: 789; **Advanced Math Subject Test: 820.**"
**Edit**: More data...
Cornell: <http://www.math.cornell.edu/m/Graduate/app_details.html>
"Most successful applicants score 700 or above on their GRE subject test."
Georgia Tech: <http://www.math.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/faqs-graduate-admissions#MINGRE>
"The PhD entering class in Fall 2006 had the following averages: ... Subj 795"
UIUC: <http://www.math.illinois.edu/GraduateProgram/apply-phd.html>
"Mathematics subject GRE scores of entering Ph.D. students in 2013: upper quartile 850, median 790, and lower quartile 690."
Penn State: <http://www.math.psu.edu/grad/phd/faq.php>
("Listed below are the average scores of students accepted to our program for the last several years...")
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: The NRC data has information on average GRE tests for EVERY math school:
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=<KEY>#gid=0>
Here's some caveats: the NRC data is known to have issues. "Average GRE scores" in the spreadsheet doesn't specify what it means. There are several possibilities:
1. it's the mathematics GRE test
2. it's the general test
3. NRC didn't specify which test they wanted when they sent out the survey to the schools, so for some schools it is one and for some schools it is the other
And there are two clear indicators of issues:
1. the prevalence of the number 800
2. the prevalence of the number 777
These wouldn't appear in true averages. So take it with a grain of salt, or maybe a bucket of salt.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/28 | 1,662 | 6,819 | <issue_start>username_0: I teach at a community college, and my experience with textbook reps is that they're very friendly and persistent, but ultimately all they've really done is to give me a copy of their book and try to convince me to adopt it. There are certainly many unethical things about textbook publishing, but as far as I could see, they were decisions made by executives in New York (e.g., bringing out new editions to kill off the used market, or shrinkwrapping the book with useless trinkets so that it couldn't be returned). In online discussions, I've often heard people who seem to be students make claims that professors were "bribed" to use a particular publisher's book. I never believed these claims, and when I asked these people to supply evidence, they never had any.
But recently I was talking to a colleague in another department, and he told me that his department would never change their book for a particular course, because his colleagues got ethically questionable inducements from the publisher. When I asked him what they were, he said that the publisher would, e.g., repeatedly invite faculty who were using the book to "meet-the-author" events in Florida. He said that these faculty had grown to expect this as a perk that they were regularly offered as an unspoken quid pro quo for continuing to use the book. I didn't ask him for hard evidence of his claim, and I don't know what form of evidence he would have available.
Is there really any hard evidence that publishers do this sort of thing, or is this an urban folktale?<issue_comment>username_1: There is some hard evidence that textbook publishers do occasionally offer inducements to professors for adopting their texts. The abstract of [this paper](http://jmd.sagepub.com/content/20/3/258.abstract) in the Journal of Marketing Education reports that
>
> With respect to publisher incentives, 32 respondents reported that they had been offered and 18 reportedly received an inducement from a publisher related to textbook adoption...
>
>
>
<NAME>, author of [Freebies and Other Inducements](http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/12259/title/FREEBIES-AND-OTHER-INDUCEMENTS/) found that "monetary enticement to adopt a book, although not rampant, does happen, and not just in economics. In science, these extras are encountered in large introductory biology and chemistry courses--but less so in physics and geology classes, which tend to attract fewer students."
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: A couple of years after asking this question, I came across the following article:
"Selling Out: a Textbook Example," <NAME>, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 27, 2003
The article is paywalled, but you can easily find the full text by googling. It documents a number of clear instances of such inducements, and even quotes several teachers who explain that they knew it was unethical to take the money, but they did it because they wanted some cash. Some choice quotes:
>
> I bought a house in June, and I needed a washer and dryer.
>
>
> I think most people are susceptible to twinges of guilt. I'm not susceptible to those twinges of guilt.
>
>
>
Apparently the most common form that this bribe takes is that teachers are paid to review a textbook. In some cases they get paid regardless of whether they adopt the book, but in at least one case documented in the article the company, North West Publishing, only paid reviewers if they also adopted the text. In many cases, the payment is made to an entire department and is said to be in return for contributions of material to the book by faculty members, but the payments are disproportionate to the value of the contributed material.
In November 2015, I heard about another instance of this kind of bribery. State legislation in 2012 created the California Open Education Resources Council, made up of faculty from the UC, Cal State, and community college systems. The council was supposed to pick 50 core courses. They were then to establish a "competitive request-for-proposal process in which faculty members, publishers, and other interested parties would apply for funds to produce, in 2013, 50 high-quality, affordable, digital open source textbooks and related materials, meeting specified requirements." As of 2015 this appears to be a second failed initiative (the first being Governor Schwarzenegger's free digital textbook initiative for K-12), and one of the roadblocks appears to have been a controversy over a practice by the publishers of paying faculty to adopt their open-source books. On the face of it, this seems a little odd -- why pay people to adopt a book that is free? The publishers' illogical public justification is that they are doing this because making the materials free takes money out of the collective pockets of faculty who have written books. This makes very little sense, because the people they're writing checks to are not the same people as the ones who have written free or non-free books. Presumably the motivation for paying for adoptions is that the publishers intend to make money off of ancillary products and services, such as $120/semester subscriptions to mandatory online homework systems.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Other leading tricks: (1) Offer a lucrative "accuracy checking" gig to recent adopters, (2) Create a special university-specific version of the text with e.g. an appendix of university-specific requirements and "share" the revenue with the "coauthor" department.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I haven't been offered any free trips by publishers yet, but in my area (mathematics) someone once pointed out a different incentive the publishers provide to our discipline.
At the largest mathematics conferences in the U.S., there are "exhibits" which publishers use to show off their books. There is a significant fee to rent space for these. Publishers also purchase advertising for the conference program, provide name tags with the publisher's name, and other such things. This has the effect of subsidizing the conference, reducing the cost for faculty to attend.
I think there is an ethical question to consider about this framework. In the end, students who buy the textbooks provide the funds that the publishers use to purchase exhibit space and advertising, which in turn defrays the cost of the conference for professors.
It seems reasonable to ask whether this helps to discourage the professional societies who sponsor the conferences from setting up committees to develop free courseware -- committees of that sort seem like one way to get "respectable" freely reproducible course materials, and the lack of action by mathematics professional societies seems particularly noticeable.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/10/28 | 886 | 3,896 | <issue_start>username_0: Before I state my query, you should know two things about me:
1. I'm an EE graduate
2. I'm working in field of VLSI for past one year.
---
I'm applying for Masters in **VLSI** for fall-2014 and I'm in a dilemma here.
I've approached my head of department and a lecturer from my department for getting letter of recommendation. I only need one though. These are the reasons as to why I'm conflicted in deciding between the two.
* My head of department has a PhD in VLSI while my lecturer is just a postgraduate.
* My lecturer has guided me for my thesis project in my final year of my undergraduate course. My final year thesis project is NOT on VLSI.It is on power systems.
* My lecturer has taken classes for me while my Head of department has not taken any class for me . So she doesn't have any benchmark to judge my academic capability. She knows me as a student body member who has organised technical events though.(Which is why she agreed to give me recommendation, that and the fact that I had a discussion with her on my current job responsibilities)
My other two recommenders are my technical manager from my workplace and a teacher who took Integrated circuits during undergrad level- (again not a PhD)
Whom should I choose? I am confused because My head of department has that PhD tag( none of my other recommenders are PhDs) . So I'm in doubt as to whether I should go for her credentials or take one from my senior lecturer( in which case none of my recommenders will have that PhD tag)<issue_comment>username_1: One possibility is to get letters from both. Some application web sites will not accept more than the standard number of letters, but others will, so you should check first. It's considered obnoxious to assemble an unreasonably large number of letters, since it wastes the time of your recommenders. However, one extra letter could be reasonable in your case.
Another is for them to write a joint letter. I've seen this occasionally, with a graduate student and faculty member co-writing a letter of recommendation for an undergraduate (where the grad student knows more about the undergraduate's work, but the faculty member has more perspective and credibility). You should treat this carefully, so you don't inadvertently offend the lecturer by suggesting that their recommendation is not valuable by itself. However, it could be one way to handle a strict limitation of three letters.
If you have to choose one, I'd probably go with the lecturer, since the head of department has neither taught nor supervised you, so her letter is unlikely to be as informative as the lecturer's. However, you would have to decide based on the specifics of your situation.
I'm assuming you can't replace either of the other two letters, since the course on integrated circuits is obviously relevant and I imagine your technical manager can say a lot about your background, experience, and abilities in VLSI (since that's what you are doing).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, if you are applying for a *research* degree, then you are better off getting letters of recommendation from people who can comment on your ability *as a researcher.* Even if the person is a well-known expert in the field, that won't do them a whole lot of good if they can't comment on *your* abilities in the field.
Your department head has neither observed your work in classes nor supervised research for you. How much detail she can provide on your capabilities is therefore greatly in doubt. You have taken classes and performed research with the lecturer. Therefore, your lecturer can evaluate you more thoroughly and provide evidence supporting those claims.
So, unless you have some additional absolutely compelling reason to obtain the letter from the department head, I would go with the instructor who actually knows your work.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/28 | 2,140 | 8,825 | <issue_start>username_0: As you might see from my history I don't have a good relationship with my advisor. Recently we wrote a journal paper together based on my thesis. I wrote the introduction, analysis and the description of the app we had developed for our research. In crude terms, I wrote 15 pages of the 23 page journal paper. My advisor told me that our draft was submitted to this journal three weeks ago, yet I never received any notification from the journal that I was listed as author or co-author.
I went into the help section of the journal to figure if they do send emails to every author and it seems you do need an email to register as co-author. Confirmation [here](http://journalauthors.tandf.co.uk/pdfs/SubmitGuide_S1M_1.pdf).
According to the guidelines, if the co-author is not registered with the journal, their email should be provided. Its quite obvious I should have received an confirmation email and my advisor only has my .edu email so there is no way another email address could have been used. I have written a journal paper to IEEE as co-author before and I had received an confirmatory email saying I was listed as co-author. I am afraid of confronting my advisor about this as I need co-operation to graduate and in my thesis defense, but I was curious to know if I will get an email if I am listed as co-author? More importantly, should I be listed as author or co-author in this case, when the work is based on my thesis and I wrote most of the paper?
I called the 1-800 number and when I told them the submitter's last name (my advisor) and the paper title, they confirmed that my advisor was listed as sole author. They told me that they had to un-submit and resubmit the journal paper to add me as co-author and they gave me contact of a University professor for further inquiries. I have all the email proof of my work (for instance emails where my advisor asks me to write intro and I would reply with the intro text attached and so on). I am seriously upset right now. I have my thesis defense in December and I fear that if I confront my advisor, things will screw up. Can you please advise on what I should do right now?
PS: I was told that I am listed in Acknowledgement section in the end, which is completely unfair. The Deciding officer (it seems he is the final authority in these cases and RIO reports to him) at my University is the vice president, who was my advisor's PhD Advisor half a decade ago. They are both from same city of a foreign country and are close family friends. Rumor has it that the Vice President rejected multiple highly qualified candidates to get my advisor for Asst. Prof. Position. All my friends are asking me to drop it because I don't have many bullets to go after them, but they can completely screw me up or set me up for something if I go against "one of their own". I am still evaluating what to do.
PPS: Thank you for all your advice. Even though I don't know any of you personally, you were very kind in giving me your time and advice. I cannot thank you all enough. I spoke with a full professor in another deptartment in Engineering. He asked me to stay put till December until the paper is published. He was of opinion that the University is a big cesspool and they only way to clean it is to "get the people" who are doing this publicly and shame them. I do not know if I am being used as pawn right now in University politics or what I should do. I spoke with other people too and all they said was "Is not getting an authorship on journal worth more than not earning the degree". It seems sole authorship does carry extra weight age in front of tenure committee. The whole situation has completely shattered my faith in academics, and the fact that I am part of a state university makes this even more depressing. By the way, one of the two editors of this journal was on advisor's PhD committee. So many people have advised me not to contact any of them. In academia everybody seems to know everybody, in fact it seems more like a cult. I am just doing a Masters now, I always had plans to do PhD and explore my curiosities and see what I can achieve with perseverance, hard work and to test my mental capabilities to their limit, but I am done. I quit. I never felt so depressed for a very long time. Academia these days seems to run by industry practitioners who had previous experience at corporate politics and are good at it or by businessman who wear good clothes, have good people skills and just show off while delegating all the work to GRAs and underlings, and that's not what I am and will never be.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, web submission software *can* send authorship confirmation emails to all co-authors, but not all journal publishers actually configure it to do so. I can confirm that at least one journal by Taylor & Francis does not send confirmation emails to people other than the corresponding author.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There may be nothing to worry about. In ScholarOne (the web submission system being used), the submitter is supposed to enter contact information for all the authors, but an impatient submitter might skip that. As long as you are listed as an author on the paper itself, I'd bet the web submission stuff can be fixed after the fact (it might annoy people, but it's unlikely to derail publication). Probably the person you called at the publisher just checked the ScholarOne metadata without examining the submitted PDF, in which case you don't know for sure whether it lists you.
Instead of provoking an angry confrontation, I'd focus on first figuring out whether you and your advisor are in agreement on authorship. I'll assume you have not explicitly discussed this question, since if you had, then you should have ended up with agreement one way or the other, or at least known you disagreed.
As a first step, you could bring up the question. For example, you could write "I realized recently that we never explicitly discussed authorship of our paper. I've envisioned myself as first author and you as the senior author, since I wrote much of the paper and it is based on my thesis work. However, I should have discussed this with you before submission. What's your take on the author ordering, and how did you handle it in the submission?"
Then you can decide what to do based on her response. If she explicitly says you're an author, then I'd trust her on this. You could still discuss author ordering, based on the conventions in your field.
If your advisor says she doesn't think you should be an author at all, then you'll have to discuss this issue. It would be counterproductive to accuse her of dishonesty or of trying to steal your work. Instead, you should just try to make the case that your contributions justify coauthorship. You could refer to guidelines for this journal or for your field in general to help you argue.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: It is an *unambiguous violation of ethics* for a collaborator to be dropped from the list of authors.
If you wrote a significant contribution to the paper, **you are in the right.** Your supervisor has no ground to stand on. You should *ask* your supervisor (don't accuse!) if he/she has included you as a co-author. If a mistake has been made, the sooner it's fixed the better. You could also have a good claim to first authorship, though that is something to decide between authors.
>
> Edit: a little humour - full credit goes to [<NAME> / The Upturned Microscope](http://upmic.wordpress.com).
>
>
>
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: >
> I am seriously upset right now. I have my thesis defense in December and I fear that if I confront my advisor, she will screw me up.
>
>
>
Simply as a matter of self-interest, your adviser probably doesn't want you to fail your defense. The work is being published in a journal, and at least one of the names on the paper is hers. If it's then being judged as academically inadequate for a PhD, that reflects badly on her.
Also, if she's really as bad as she sounds, she'll have a reputation at your school, and many of the people on your committee will realize that.
A more realistic concern is that this is also the time when you're going to be applying for your first job, and she may not give you a good recommendation. E.g., if you're applying for a postdoc at another university, people there probably don't know her personally and don't understand your situation. Once you get past the hurdle of getting that first job, you no longer have to depend on your adviser for a recommendation. One option to consider would be to get that job lined up before starting a big row over authorship of this paper.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/10/29 | 3,118 | 12,930 | <issue_start>username_0: Sometimes, I feel to contact some of the eminent researchers in my field for any of the following reasons:
1. Appreciating their research publication (recent times). They publish in top conferences, which are usually not hosted in my country or nearby.
2. Requesting comments on some of my research hypothesis
3. Sometimes just because I am a die hard fan of them. For example, probably the only reason I continued with research in Computer Science was due to [Don Knuth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Knuth).
4. Sometimes, to know what they think on some specific research area that has propagated due to there work. (Probably looks like some journalistic work)
5. For knowing how did they tackle the pressures or certain situation during their PhD or research. (Yes, it's vague but these questions come to mind and probably should be answered by oneself or personal interaction, but adding it for the sake of completion)
Since, most of them are located outside my country, I can't visit or phone them. So, how are such emails perceived. Is it appropriate to send such emails, given that they are expected to have very busy schedule and it would probably waste their time?
Though I have mentioned my field as Computer Science, the question should be applicable to all the fields.<issue_comment>username_1: While many of these topics are excellent points to start a 1-1 conversation, I seriously doubt whether you'd get much of a response over email. This is not to say that they wouldn't appreciate your praise, but that there may not be anything to reply to in particular.
I suspect an email will get a better response if you have specific questions about *research* content: ideally, a question related to something in a recent paper that isn't entirely obvious. For example, in my field it's sometimes the case that someone sketches a proof idea in a conference paper without a full version, and fleshing this out requires some clarification from the authors.
Of course, you can always add in a question from your list as extra cargo. Then it's a little more likely that someone will reply.
More generally, think about it this way: if you never met someone before, and they came up to you and asked you questions that might be construed as personal (especially 5), or that require you to come up with opinions on the fly (2,4), you might hesitate to respond. The same thing, but without the pressure to say something, will happen over email.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Here are some of my strayed thoughts.
**Think from return of investments, of yours and your idol's**
If you ever perceived that your e-mail would be a "waste of their time," then why send it? I feel that most eminent researchers have a trait of "ignore everyone and head for their goal;" getting acknowledgement and acceptance is probably not their primary concern. A specific e-mail describing how their work has inspired your study/project is probably fine, but I wouldn't go so far to expect they would reply and give specific comments on your hypotheses.
From your point of view, instead of using the energy and bandwidth to send the e-mails, there are a lot more you can do:
**There are many ways to show your appreciation**
First, they would probably like to see their work being formally cited and, more importantly, applied to the field or crossed into other fields. Each idea geminated from their work is an appreciation by itself, and in the mean time you can also enhance your publication and research paradigm. The plus is: if you have done enough of it, the big shot may actually contact you and give comments.
Second, you can help preaching the researcher's ideas and agenda. You can write blogs, answer other people questions, use their works in your journal clubs or lectures, etc. to subtly introduce the researcher's teaching to the public. Better yet, refine the researcher's ideas, and incorporate into yours. Become a spiritual successor with your own unique approach. And let your career be inspired by the researcher.
**You can learn from someone without establishing communication**
For some more senior researchers, look for their auto-biography, biography, interviews, and documentaries that feature them. I will probably never be able to talk to <NAME>, but I learned a lot about him through books, websites, documentaries, and musics that he plays. (And actually, he has a Youtube channel as well, but I am suffering from too much fanboy shyness to write any comment.)
For younger researchers, try look for their blogs, Youtube channels, open courses, or even biographies of their mentors. All these may help you become more familiar with them.
Another way is to indirectly know them. Most of these researchers would have a lot of students or proteges, who may be closer to your rank and more likely to communicate with you. You may build a relationship with them, and learn a thing or two about their interaction with their mentor.
**Try technology**
For their new publications... nowadays most online journals allow leaving comments online. You may try to say a nice thing or two there. If they write a blog, that's even easier. Some researchers maintain a LinkedIn page or a Twitter account, try connect with them and follow them. Hope for the best.
**Use other famous people as leverage**
If you really want to communicate with them, also try using other organizations. For instance, you can write to some online radio station and suggest an interview topic and some guests, which of course will include your idolized researcher. You can also write to some prominent podcast hosts and give them a couple reason to invite so and so for an interview. Make good use of crowdsourcing, invite your peers and friends to support your petition.
**Some heroes/heroines are better left a bit mysterious**
This is sad but occasionally painfully true. Some famous people are better left not known at personal level. They could be immensely arrogant, they may not have a nanogram of social skill, they may be a jerk... Unless I have reconstructed a pretty concrete and reliable image about the researcher from different sources, I would probably want to keep them as what they are in my mind, and as an inspiration for my work.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: We can be exahustive here.
`If` they feel like writing that kind of things to strangers `then` they most likely have a blog that you can follow, that saves a lot of time for them, by broadcasting. `If` they do, you can write comments in the blog, that could be appropriate and extend posts and discussion, which is good for them (a chance to clarify something), for you (getting answers, yay!) and for anyone that reads the post and then the comments (and doesn't need to ask the same again...).
`If` they don't feel like writing that kind of things to strangers `then` most probably they won't reply. In that case you will be wasting their time (that's bad) and *your* time (that's worse; selfsteem, please :P ). Thus that's probably not very wise.
`If` you have questions not covered in the aforementioned blogs, you can ask here, to a crowd of anonymous people. There are many people giving great answers (really, I know my profile is the closest one in distance, but you should check somewhere else). `I know` we are not so famous and important and wise and everything, `but` we try to do our best and even if `we can understand` that you may prefer the advise of other people, we `still` have a little heart and that hurts. :(
:P Personally, I think it is normal to feel admiration for people that basically are, in some aspect or another, what you want to be and struggle to be in the future. It is probably useful and interesting to get some insight from them, and understand their perspective (personal and professional) on many questions, if you are going to idealize someone and have an idol, probably a rock star is a worse option than a researcher, but I'm not sure whether idealizing and idolizing researchers is any good anyway...
This answer may be biased because I tend to underestimate the relevance of mentoring and I consider more important talent and hard work. I'm also to some extent opposite to you, I admire and appreciate some people, but I'm more introverted, so my natural reaction is thinking to myself: "Stay quiet and don't bother them, you despicable maggot!" (This is clearly worse than idolizing them).
As a final advise, keep your extroversion, it's good for you. That means you will have plenty of things to speak about when you go to a conference and chances to do so. You will love conferences, so focus on publishing to go there (you should focus on publishing anyway). If you like visiting places then that's another big plus.
So work hard and remember, we (a bunch of anonymous people) will always be here whenever you need us, remember us when you get to be famous. Also, write a blog.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: In a nutshell: **Sending a polite email on an appropriate topic is pretty much always acceptable. However, don’t automatically expect an answer.**
---
The second part is important. The eminent researcher is probably a busy person, and you have no particular moral claim on their time and attention. Don’t make it sound like you feel entitled to their assistance — “Hey Mr. Tao! I need to understand the Green–Tao theorem for my masters thesis. Please can you explain it to me in simple terms? P.S. my thesis is due next Tuesday.” And don’t be disappointed if they don’t reply.
That said, don’t despair either — don’t feel “oh, it’s not worth writing because they’ll never reply to a nobody like me”! Some may well be too busy or dismissive, but many are also genuinely kind people, and very generous with their help. Others (I have a specific rather famous person in mind here) are simply incorrigible curiosity-hounds, and will happily get caught up for hours by an intriguing problem from a random stranger when they’re supposed to be grading final exams. So they may well reply — just don’t presume it.
---
On the other hand: what’s an appropriate topic?
* Questions about their research can be fine, provided you’ve done your homework. For instance, [I had a question on mathoverflow recently](https://mathoverflow.net/a/144823/2273) which looked like it might have been answered by a particular researcher, but nobody could find the specific paper, and it was possibly unpublished. Writing to ask e.g. “Do you recall which of your papers on $\tau$-categories might contain or imply a result something like […]?” is certainly OK.
* Questions about practical matters that may be their responsibility are good — at worst they can always hand it off to someone else. “I’m applying to your department’s PhD programme, and it wasn’t clear to me from the website if students are expected to have a potential advisor in advance. If so, are you potentially accepting new students at the moment? I am very interested in your work because…”
* Plain fan mail is OK, as long as it’s sincere and you’re not trying to get something for it! Nobody’s going to mind hearing “Please excuse my writing out of the blue; I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your talk at such-and-such conference. As a non-specialist, I really appreciate the effort you put into making it accessible to a wide audience.” However, if this is followed up by “Incidentally, I am applying for a job at such-and-such department. Do you have any insider advice you can share?” then the initial compliments will look a lot less sincere. Don’t do this!
* *Possibly* questions about your own research. The two big questions here are: again, have you done your homework; and is there a good reason why you’re asking them, not someone else? Asking “I read your paper, and had an idea of how to generalise Theorem 5.3, by such-and-such approach. Do you know if somebody is already working on this question, or is it open?” should be fine. Asking “I had such-and-such new idea in your field. Can you spare the time to give me feedback?” makes you sound a bit like a crank — for this, you should be running it by a colleague first, or a colleague-of-a-colleague, or if you don’t know anyone close to the field yet, try and find someone less famous and with at least *some* specific connection to you (e.g. geographically closer) that you can write to first.
What’s *not* appropriate:
* Asking for significant favours (unless you have a personal connection of some sort).
* Asking them to explain their research to you because you don’t want to read their papers. (That’s what helpful strangers in internet forums are for!)
* Personal questions (unless you’re a serious journalist writing e.g. a book on drug use among academics; but in that case you should know about how to get in touch with sources appropriately already).
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/10/29 | 1,072 | 4,595 | <issue_start>username_0: My spouse and I are both finishing Ph.D's in math and applying for math postdocs in the US. We work in different areas of math, but there are many departments in which both are prominently represented. A postdoc position in the same place is not an absolute must but a big plus for us, and would likely be a deciding factor if choosing between offers.
My question: would adding a statement in the cover letter to the effect of
"My spouse xxx is also applying for this position" be helpful, or is it more likely to disqualify both of us in the eyes of departments? We have different last names, so someone who does not know us well personally would probably not know we are together.
The advice for tenure track applicants seems to be not to divulge such personal information until the interview, but there are no interviews for math postdocs so I'm not sure whether the advice would be different.<issue_comment>username_1: I think the advice that applies to tenure-track applicants also pertains to postdoc applicants. Employers aren't allowed to ask about two-body problems in terms of interviewing and hiring candidates. There's no need to force the issue ahead of time.
If you get an offer, then you can discuss the two-body problem. Otherwise, I wouldn't make an issue of it before then.
(Of course, the challenge is trickier for postdocs in most fields outside of math, because in those disciplines, postdocs are normally hired by individual faculty members, rather than at the departmental level.)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: **I'd not risk it: you have more to loose by mentioning it than to gain.** It seems fairly unlikely that this would be a motivating factor for the department to offer you both a position, but it could be interpreted badly (such as *“I won't come if you don't offer us both a job”*).
This answer is not based on personal experience with US post-doc committees, but post-doc hiring in general.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: As someone who actually has experience chairing a postdoctoral hiring committee in math in the US (maybe username_2 has? [s/he is an international wo/man of mystery](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/a/630/13)...), I think the answer is "it's unclear."
I think there's no question that mentioning your spousal situation in connection with a job will increase the probability of you both getting jobs and decrease probability of either of you getting jobs; it's impossible to be sure how those things will balance. There's an extremely real danger that if a school knows about your situation, they'll just decide they have no chance of getting you and give up; on the other hand, if a school has a reasonable number of positions (for example, the University of Michigan), and you and your spouse are reasonably hot commodities, there is some chance a school will try to grab you both, but only if they know before whatever crucial meeting they have. That's not a very likely turn of events, but it has happened (note the importance of at least one, and hopefully both, of you being a hot commodity, **and** of the school in question having a large number of positions; if they have only one position, this won't work very well).
In part, you have to decide for yourself how scared you are of not getting a job vs. how scared you are having to take a job separating yourself from your spouse. No one on this site can tell you, but maybe your advisor or another trusted mentor can help you work that out. If you're planning for a research career in mathematics, you should also give some thought to doing the best postdocs possible (maybe requiring separation) to have better leverage on the TT market (I know that sucks, but the two-body problem generally sucks).
If you decide you would like the committee to know about your spouse, you then have to figure out when and how to tell them. I wouldn't depend on anything being noticed in your cover letter; there are a lot to read, and such a subtle thing will go unnoticed. As other answers point out, there is some chance of coming off as presumptuous. It's probably more reliable for one of your letter writers to mention it (bonus: this requires you to have a discussion with the letter writer about your situation). You can also broach the subject with someone you know at the school via email (or ask your advisor to do this). Another useful trick is to include a link to your spouse's homepage on your homepage (though that could be easily missed as well; still I'm more likely to read a homepage than a cover letter).
Upvotes: 5 |
2013/10/29 | 1,096 | 4,541 | <issue_start>username_0: I am submitting a paper to a machine learning/computer vision conference. Is it worthwhile to include some source code of my implementation so that the reviewers can test it themselves or gain a greater understanding of my idea? It will take time to clean up my code and make sure it is anonymised.
Is this a common practice? If so do reviewers pay attention to the code?
Is it worth the time to prepare anonymised and clean code?
The code will be included as a ZIP archive through the paper submission website. After the paper has been accepted I intend to release it with an open source license.<issue_comment>username_1: This largely depends upon the reviewers and the field customs. Some reviewers, specially in journals, may ask for source code. However, it is unlikely that in Computer Science conferences reviewers ask for source code specially when the paper is well-written.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Should I supply code as supplemental material?
>
>
>
Yes, but it would be better if you published it in an open access fashion.
>
> Is this a common practice?
>
>
>
No.
>
> If so do reviewers pay attention to the code?
>
>
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Depends on the reviewers.
>
> Is it worth the time to prepare anonymised and clean code?
>
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That depends, don't do more than necessary.
Also read:
* [Ten Simple Rules for Reproducible Computational Research](http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info%3adoi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003285)
* [Top Ten Reasons to *Not* Share Your Code
(and why you should anyway)](http://faculty.washington.edu/rjl/pubs/topten/topten.pdf)
* [Open Source Software Publishing for University Researchers](https://wiki.52north.org/bin/view/Documentation/BestPracticeOpenSourceForUniversityResearchers)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Making code available is *always* a good idea, as long as the code works. It is probably a good idea even if it doesn't, since even non-working code can help reviewers and users/readers of your work to understand details of your implementation that your paper does not cover. However, if the code does not work, you should clearly indicate this in the source. In the case of working and tested code, bear in mind that sufficient documentation to run the code is highly desirable. You only mention reviewers, but you should also be thinking about general readers of your paper.
I think it is probably reasonable to supply a current snapshot of the code to the paper as a zip archive (or similar) for reviewing purposes, but why not just put it online directly as a Git or Mercurial repository on Bitbucket, Github, or similar, and reference this on the paper? I also recommend making repositories available in more than one place, in the interests of redundancy. For example, I have used both Bitbucket and Google Code for my Mercurial repositories. This has various advantages over a zip archive file; for one thing you can push corrections and other changes to your repository, and everyone will immediately have access to them.
If you are concerned about releasing your code before your paper has been published might mean someone else will "scoop" you, that seems unlikely to me. At least, it is not something I've ever worried about.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Absolutely, yes.
If you don't release code, then your work is not de-facto reproducible; and if you will get me as a reviewer, I will do everything in my power to either get you to publish code, or get rejected. Rare exceptions to the contrary, where an implementation is trivial. But implementations are rarely trivial; and often a great place to sweep a lot of quirks under the rug which conveniently arnt mention in the paper.
Granted, it is not hard to get away with not providing code; journals are particularly lax at enforcing or even adopting standards, even though most people in the field will decry the lack of reproducibility of published work. But nobody will resent you for providing code either. Writing code you actually feel comfortable releasing out into the open requires work of course. Time which you could spend doing other things. If you don't feel comfortable zipping up your code and providing it right now, that's probably a good indication that any papers written about said code arnt ready to be published yet either.
Unfortunately, there is a tension there, between doing what is right scientifically, and doing what is right for your career. But as for me as a reviewer; no code == no publication.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/30 | 535 | 2,215 | <issue_start>username_0: As everybody knows, research experience helps in one undergraduate's admission to a PhD program. It would be even better, if the undergraduate has a publication out of his or her research experience.
However, for a full-time undergraduate, it is quite difficult to devote too much time to research since one still has the school work to deal with. *(Maintaining a high GPA is also important, isn't it?)* Given the time limitation by this or other reasons, the **undergraduate** may face the following dilemma.
The **quality** of work is **low**, but the undergraduate has **no time to improve it**.
**Should the undergraduate publish it to a random and low-tier conference to at least have a publication?**
OR
**Should he or she just make it a technical report instead of publishing it?**
In other words, during the PhD admission, **how do the admission committees or professors view a low-quality conference paper?** Do they take it as an advantage in the sense that most of the undergraduates have none. Or do they start suspecting the student's research potentials? **Does a low-quality "1" win a "0" in this case?**
FYI, the field of interest is EECS, but any generic comments are also very much appreciated!<issue_comment>username_1: If the quality of the work is low, the student should neither publish it in a lower tier conference nor publish it as a technical report. They should either make the time to improve it or toss it in the trash. A **bad** publication, no matter what venue it's published in, is worse than no publication at all.
Similarly, a "publication" listed in a CV or described in a statement of purpose that isn't retrievable via google (unlike most technical reports, which *are* googlable) is also worse than no publication at all, because we can't tell if the applicant is lying. (Sadly, some applicants are lying.)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have a different opinion:
I think you should push it forward for publication in a national conference, not international (because quality is low)
The weightage for this will definitely be less, But it leaves a different impression if you have some published work.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/10/30 | 1,452 | 6,372 | <issue_start>username_0: When you review papers submitted for publication, is there an “optimal” length for reviews?
In my experience as an author and referee, I have seen a large range of review lengths (for reference, a paper in my field is typically between 3 and 8 printed pages):
* Zero length: for some of the papers I have authored, the reviewer just clicked the “accept as is” or “reject” checkmark on the review sheet, without adding any comment (at least, not any comment visible to me). It's not so common, but it has happened.
* Short length: a lot of time, I received reviews who consisted of a single paragraph.
* Medium: one full page, maybe two pages.
Although I have never received any such long reviews, I have myself written on a few occasions reviews that exceed two pages, including once or twice a four or five-page review. These were cases where the paper was good, but could be (in my view) much improved and some of the aspects/consequences had escaped the authors' consideration.
I am wondering **how useful reviews of various length are to editors**. I often consider that “unmotivated” reviews are useless, as they do not give any real insight about the paper to the editor. For example, if the editor gets two conflicting non motivated reviews, how is she to decide?
On the other hand, although I write some from time to time, I have never received long reviews, so… **is this something frowned upon?**<issue_comment>username_1: Reviews can be of quite varying length but obviously the extremes indicate some problems.
A review consisting of "Accept as is" would be highly suspicious in my mind (as an editor). It usually means the reviewer has not done any work, essentially no manuscript is that close to perfect (although it may of course happen). A review of "Reject" without additional comment is equally pointless (I am then assuming the journal has some form of quality check before accepting for review). An absence of comments is just a big warning sign since there is no perspective on why the MS is either perfect or perfectly worthless.
Considering the length of a review, it is governed by two factors: the quality of the manuscript and the personality of the reviewer. To some extent longer reviews indicate more questions to be resolved. At the same time some reviewers may be more nit-picking than others so that also influences the length. Based on my experience as an editor, I would say, as a rule of thumb, that at least a page of (single spaced) comments would be a basis for a descent review for a normal manuscript (15-20 pages double spaced excluding references, tables, figures) in the field experiment/observation based science where I work. A review of more than three or four pages of (single spaced) comments would be unusual and probably involve comments down to spelling issues. "A decent review" involves providing clear and constructive comments that will allow the editor to value the manuscript and the author to improve the manuscript.
So I would not say that a long review would necessarily be frowned upon, it clearly depends on how constructive it is. If someone spends a lot of effort improving language and grammar (which does not necessarily constitute the expectations from a review) that could be very useful. Normally such comments may be made as revisions in a file rather than a written report. So length is not a major issue, constructiveness is.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: An "accept as is" option is useful after resubmissions; it signifies that no more work needs to be done. However, it is unusual to see that happen in an article on the first round of submissions. (I've had that happen precisely once in my career.)
Otherwise, I would say that the more detailed a review can be, and the more precise the suggestions for improving the paper are, the better it will be.
One to two pages is typically the norm; however, I have submitted a few three- to four-page reviews when I thought an article was already quite good, but could be better.
On the other hand, if a paper is already of relatively poor quality, I will explain the methodological or other significant flaws, but skip over an analysis of minute points; (it's simply not worth the time to rearrange the furniture when the roof is going to collapse any minute.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Speaking from the point of view of an editor: One of the best reviews I ever got was longer than the paper. The author, a young researcher, had proved three theorems, one of which I recognized as a known result. So I asked the original discoverer of that known result to referee the paper. In my cover letter, I mentioned that I recognized one of the theorems as his, and asked whether the other two theorems had enough novelty for a publication. It turned out that the other two theorems weren't new either. The referee could easily have just given citations for those two theorems and recommended rejection. Instead, he gave me (or, really, gave the author) a long, clear explanation of the state of the art in that subject, and he suggested some open problems that the author could try working on.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: As an author, reviewer, and key reader of a respected engineering journal, I can offer some perspective. The shortest review I received was one I solicited from a highly-respected professor at a prestigious university. His review was basically “This manuscript is not written well enough to be reviewed.”
The longest review I have received as an author was about five bulleted comments some of which were optional revisions and some minor but necessary clarifications; the shortest was one minor comment approving the manuscript.
As a reviewer I have on several occasions completely rewritten a non-English language author’s manuscript as a gratis professional service. To my surprise, I received thank you letters from the professional society publications chair and the editor thanking me for my ‘laudatory’ service. I took that to indicate my effort was unusual.
My shortest key reader review summary was to a VERY famous author who after a 22 page derivation, which he summarized as ‘simple’. With feigned seriousness, I ‘required him to remove the word ‘simple’ since he was on this uncustmary occasion communicating with mortals.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/10/30 | 1,239 | 5,179 | <issue_start>username_0: I have just finished a BSc degree in maths at ETH Zurich and I am now planning to continue with an MSc and a PhD in Japan.
My question is this: is it possible to do an MSc at one university and then do the PhD at a different university?
In Europe this is not only socially acceptable but nothing unusual. But as far as I know, Japan is different; how different I don't know. I would very much like to apply to one university for the MSc and then relocate to somewhere else for my PhD. But I'm rather worried that this may mean that the professor supervising my MSc will lose face. And of course, I can't just ask them directly because they might not tell me the truth out of politeness.<issue_comment>username_1: Institutions prefer their recognized terminal degree to be the final education before its graduates continue in their careers. By doing so, the graduates provide the evidence of the efficacy and value to society of the institution's academic programs.
However, as you have said, in Europe, the MSc is not recognized as a terminal degree. An institution in Europe from which you might graduate with a MSc should expect, if you continue your studies, for you to be successful in the program to which you apply.
**The correct way to ensure that you contribute to the local reputation of the institution to which you consider applying is to ask them if the degree is intended to be a terminal degree, or if it is considered strong preparation for the terminal degree that you wish to pursue.**
You should also inquire about this at your terminal degree school of interest, and you should strongly consider the advice that the institution you want to pursue your terminal degree at gives you in that matter.
For example, I inquired at Columbia about their PhD in Economics, and they suggested, as I expected, that I complete a Masters in Statistics first.
Communication, in the spirit of your notable tactfulness, is the best way to ensure that you meet the expectations of the institutions that you are interested in.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you enroll in one of the **13** universities of the
[**Global 30**](http://www.uni.international.mext.go.jp/) project, an elite program, which offers degree programs in English. You can use the their [Course](http://www.uni.international.mext.go.jp/course/) web page to find out detailed information.
If you want to do MSc and PhD in different universities in Japan, I am afraid you don’t have much choice in Global 30 schools. And not every Global 30 school offers the program you want. For example, you only have **less than handful** of Math graduate programs available in Global 30.
If you are proficient in Japanese, it is another story. You do have plenty of choices. As far as I know, Japanese graduate students switch schools for various reasons, too.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In Japan, most of the (Japanese) students stick to their university. Partly because of convenience and the costs of moving and entering a new university. It used to be "stick till death" for many, but nowadays it is more common to go out and work/study at other universities, too. It is especially true when one tries to enter to a more prestigious university.
One piece of advice: don't measure yourself to the Japanese students. The expectations and opportunities are completely different.
Also, Japanese students are available in large number, so most professor see students as commodities, and most professor do not really care if an average students leave or not. At MSc level supervision is not a really involved commitment on the part of the professor, so do not feel like having bound for life. Also if you choose a new place that has good relationship with your professor, he may even support you.
I don't understand however your motivation: if you are unfamiliar with the system and how to get accepted, how to find good positions etc, why would you like to flip from one university to another? As far as I know Math is a particularly slow field, so the chances that you got out something serious during your MSc is slim. Jumping from one place to another, one topic to another may have a bad influence on your options to produce high quality work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Is it possible? Yes. Is it common? Not really.
In general, Japanese students will only change university after finishing their MSc if they are able to enter a higher-ranked university. For example, someone from Osaka U may move to U Tokyo to do their PhD, but most students stay where they are. I don't think the supervisor loses face in such a situation, partly because the student goes somewhere better and partly because MSc students in Japan are a dime-a-dozen (and mostly job-hunting all the time anyway).
One thing to consider is that it will take some time to adapt to the very different environment. This might mean your progress is initially slow, and it could be difficult to produce sufficient results in two years to warrant moving. I recommend you try to get into one of the top schools (U Tokyo, Kyoto U, Tokyo Inst. Tech., etc.) from the start.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/10/30 | 1,447 | 6,125 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm an early PhD student and one of my research foci is conservation biology. Of the various focal topics of my research, this is the one that I feel most passionate about. (And within conservation biology, habitat loss/disruption is the issue that holds the highest degree of intrinsic interest for me.) However, like many in conservation bio I am somewhat dismayed by what I see as a lack of actual impact stemming from conservation research — that is to say, a lot of research gets done but not a lot actually changes because of it.
I realize that environmental policy is a huge issue that extends way beyond the bounds of academic research, and that the challenges of enacting science-based policy are many and are often seen as being best left to policymakers and policy advocates rather than researchers. However, I am finding that I am increasingly interested in charting a career path that puts me in a place where I can work to bridge the divide between research and policy, where I have a chance of making conservation bio a more effective field in terms of real-world results (even if my part in such an effort is a small one) and where I can ideally be involved both with doing impactful, effective research and also with seeing the results of that research be put into action.
My question is this: what would that career path look like? My goal up to now has been to try for a professorship in academia (as insane as that job market is these days) or else in the statistically likely event that I don't make it there to look for a similar research-oriented job, perhaps with a museum or with the government. I'm still in the first year of my PhD, so this plan is still pretty hazy but that's the general outline of it at the moment. I realize I have a long way to go (at least another four years of PhD work and a postdoc or two) before I'm in a position to take a shot at becoming a PI, but I think it's important to have at least a rough idea of what the ultimate end is. Looking realistically at the PhD program I'm in, I think I have as good a shot as anyone at "making it".
I'm becoming less sure though that that path (what I think of as the "traditional" career path for PhD students in the sciences) is one that will necessarily put me in a position where I can have a hand in conservation policy and in shaping the direction of my field, which are goals that are becoming increasingly important to me. I know that there are ways to do research that is more impactful (I found this article very edifying: [Cook et al 2013, Achieving Conservation Science that Bridges the Knowledge-Action Boundary [PDF]](http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236190887_Achieving_Conservation_Science_that_Bridges_the_Knowledge-Action_Boundary/file/504635178e8cfe5a13.pdf)) but I don't feel that impactful research is really incentivized by the systems of reward and prestige that prevail in academic research, such that putting too much of a focus on actionable research can actually be detrimental to one's career.
I'm trying to think outside the box a little bit now, to get a sense of what trajectory I should be putting myself on if I want to do more "meaningful" conservation work while still using the research background that I am developing in my PhD program. I love research. I love doing science, and I even love working in academia as crazy as it sometimes can be. I'm not committed to the idea of a high salary (not that professors normally make a particularly high salary) though I would like to do something that gives me a modicum of financial security at a modest standard of living. I'm not averse to working in academia, or in government, or for an NGO or a private corporation or anywhere else as long as I can be connected to research and have the opportunity to turn conservation research into conservation action. I just want to do research (or at least be involved with research in a way that lets me put my skills to good use) that actually makes a difference out in the world.
Do any of you have any suggestions for career tracks that I should look into? Perhaps you yourself are already in a job that you feel has the characteristics that I am looking for? Maybe you are able to offer me a new perspective on academia that will allay my reservations about a lack of impactfulness in my hypothetical future work there? Or perhaps you see opportunities for researchers of any stripe to make important contributions to the work of conservation management and policymaking from whatever role they may end up in, by being advocates or advisors or activists outside of the lab?
All kinds of advice would be appreciated. Reading material, personal anecdotes, and any resources or tips or insights you have will all be welcome.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know anything about your specific area of interest. But to have impact in your field, it might help to seek out examples of people whose career you'd like to model. What trajectory did they follow, and as far as you can tell how did their choices help with the impact they had ?
One of the advantages of a Ph.D (not necessarily an academic career) is that it acts as a signifier to open doors. For example, in my line of work, there are many people with Ph.Ds who have immense impact on technology from jobs at research labs, or companies. Their Ph.D gave them access to jobs in these venues, and the rest was up to them.
It might be that in your area, a Ph.D is almost a necessity to even be part of the conversation (whether in doing research, or affecting policy). It might also be that the people impacting policy do so from an academic perch (hence the point about searching for role models).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I went through a similar question and considered getting an education in law after my biology education. From the little research I did I noticed that lobby groups and legislative type careers seem to have the most impact in bringing about real change. However, I don't know where that leaves you having already completed a PhD by that point in the future.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/10/31 | 835 | 3,470 | <issue_start>username_0: I have started doing PhD 3 months ago and I still don't have that much progress. What I found is that I spend more time on learning about web development, which I can choose not to do, and this will make me focus more on my PhD and I'm sure I will do better. However, the problem is that web development is like an addiction for me.
Web development is not like doing something else (it requires learning stuff so my mind will do a lot of hard work) and when I do that and come to do my research work in PhD I feel bored.
Now I decided to stop doing web development and focusing on PhD but how can I guarantee not to come back to that in 2 or 3 days? I tried that one month ago and I found myself coming back to web development and not focusing that much on PhD.
Any ideas or suggestion on getting rid of this habit?<issue_comment>username_1: You can probably get paid more doing web development. Normally you have to like research a whole lot for a PhD to be worth it, compared to doing something more lucrative and in-demand like web development.
If on top of everything, you enjoy that more than research, I would recommend at least spending some time to reevaluate your motivation to go through with a PhD.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: It sounds as though you are having a hard time finding motivation for pursuing your PhD. You don't mention the focus of your research, but one idea would be to modify the focus so that it aligns better with your addicting hobby of web-development (I'm not familiar with CS, so I have no idea how this would work in actual practice. Others will better be able to advise you on that.)
**Become interested in your research.** Assuming that you have compelling reasons for staying in your current area of research, you will need to have a genuine passion for the subject, or completing the PhD will become well-nigh impossible due to lack of motivation. See [this article](http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2013/10/22/how-to-learn-boring-subjects/) by Scott Young on how to learn boring subjects; his advice also holds for renewing interest in something. See the key points below.
* Don't pick degree programs you hate. Although there are times when you may have to take courses you don't actually like, avoid a career made up of tasks and information you hate.
* Don't confuse boring and difficult. It is easy to avoid something as boring, rather than admitting that it is difficult.
* Find the 'real-world' connections. Math isn't boring when you begin to see the connections and overall patterns--ditto for many other subjects/areas.
* Discover the context. Take the time to explore the background, and understand why these [proofs, theorems, whatever] are important for where we are now. Young recommends reading Wikipedia articles on lunch-breaks for this purpose.
* Make stories and pictures. Learning is a creative activity--the product is the intangible connections and stories in our minds. Mnemonics and stories can be interesting even when the subject is not. (Use this for the necessary but boring parts of research.)
* Use the knowledge. Using even part of what you learn in a separate project will help cement the learning, and will also be interesting. (And anyway, isn't this part of the purpose of a PhD, to apply knowledge in new ways?)
* Realize that not everything will be fun--*more interest* is better, even if relative differences still exist.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2013/10/31 | 426 | 1,525 | <issue_start>username_0: I was wonder if anyone knew if it is possible (and how) to download an entire journal (as if it would be printed) from ieeeXplore ?<issue_comment>username_1: I believe that violates the terms of use for IEEE Xplore. I don't know if you are an IEEE member, institutional subscriber, etc., but the terms of use for institutional subscribers states the following:
>
> Institutional subscribers are NOT permitted to do the following: [...]
>
>
> * Download or attempt to download an entire issue or issues of a publication contained in IEEE Xplore.
>
>
>
You should first view the terms of use for IEEE Xplore at <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/termsOfUse.jsp>, and if you have questions contact Xplore support via the contact form <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/techform.jsp>.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Well, to put legality aside merging pdfs into single file is rather easy (I assume that you can download individual articles as pdfs).
You need ghostscript program (avilable on any modern linux, and I guess also for windows) and then issue command:
```
gs -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOUTPUTFILE=combinedpdf.pdf -dBATCH 1.pdf 2.pdf 3.pdf
```
which will merge `1.pdf`, `2.pdf`, `3.pdf` into `combined.pdf`.
If you want to mass download articles you can use this firefox plugin: <https://addons.mozilla.org/pl/firefox/addon/downthemall/>
Anyways: please mind that you might be bending or violating terms and conditions using these techinques.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/10/31 | 483 | 1,796 | <issue_start>username_0: What is the typical size for a conference poster? Is it "ask the organizers", or can I safely assume that I'll get a default size, and that there will be enough space to hang it at the poster session?<issue_comment>username_1: You'll have to look at the conference announcement or contact the organizers. The space allotted to each poster is usually clearly stated in the conference announcement, and there are a number of different poster sizes being used, common ones being e.g. A0, A1. However, sometimes you are free to use the poster boards as you see fit (i.e. only provided a maximium limit).
If you are interested, here are also some resources/guidelines for constructing posters that I've used earlier:
* [Poster Tutorial](http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/)
* [Mortal Sins in Poster Presentations or How to Give the Poster No One Remembers](http://www.sicb.org/newsletters/fa97nl/sicb/poster.html)
* [Tips for creating scientific posters](http://bildmakarna.kib.ki.se/posters/tips/index_en.html)
* [Scientific Poster Design (pdf)](https://web.archive.org/web/20140913113832/http://www.cns.cornell.edu/documents/ScientificPosters.pdf) - has lots of examples of what you **shouldn't** do when it comes to colour choice and design.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There's no real “default” size. It should be communicated by the organizers, as part of the various practical details of the conference. If not, double check, but otherwise you can ask them.
If, for some reason you cannot ask, it is relatively safe to assume that it's either vertical or horizontal A0. So, if you could not get the information from the organizers and want to play it safe, restrict yourself to 84 cm in both directions, that way you'll be fine.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/31 | 1,460 | 6,383 | <issue_start>username_0: I currently have a paper submitted to [*PNAS*](http://www.pnas.org). We had two rounds of revisions, and following detailed suggestions from one reviewer, we have improved our proposed algorithm a lot: its complexity is now significantly lower, and the idea he suggested makes the overall method more robust in handling noisy signal.
I feel that this reviewer's contribution extend far beyond his original role, so much that I feel it would be ethically honest to have him as a co-author. To be crystal-clear: if he was not a reviewer, but a colleague with whom I had discussed this before submitting the paper, he would clearly be entitled to authorship, no question.
But… he *is* a reviewer, so I am wondering how (if at all) we should ask him to join as co-author. Right now, I am ready to submit the twice-revised manuscript, and I have no doubt that it will be accepted (second review was “minor revisions”). The options I can see are:
* In my cover letter for the revised manuscript, explain the situation to the editor and ask him if he could (with the reviewer's agreement) lift anonymity and allow the authors' list change.
* Wait for the manuscript to be formally approved, and only then write to the editor asking for the same thing.
* Do nothing, for example because it is frowned upon. This would pain me greatly, because the reviewer really contributed very significantly to the algorithm, and I believe he should be able to claim authorship for this contribution (if he sees it fit).
So, what are accepted practices? How should I handle this matter?<issue_comment>username_1: I'd ask the editor now, assuming the reviewer has clearly stated that the paper should be accepted (at least conditionally on certain changes). The worst case scenario is that the editor will suggest waiting, and even if that happens I don't think the editor will be upset or offended.
On the other hand, if the reviewer has made critical comments and hasn't specifically stated in the comments to authors whether the paper should be accepted, then I would wait until the conclusion of the reviewing process, just to avoid looking like you are trying to bias the outcome.
This doesn't sound like a plausible issue in your case, but I've experienced it once as a reviewer. I made a lot of critical but apparently useful comments on a paper, and the authors offered coauthorship when they submitted a major revision. I don't think they meant this to be manipulative, but I wondered whether one effect would be to remove a critic from the reviewing pool for their paper (in which case I might be replaced with someone more favorable).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: Seconding other comments and answers: surely no one would be *offended* if you tried to make such an offer...
However, as already noted, if your offer is made prior to final acceptance, it might be misinterpreted, as your trying to clinch acceptance.
And that possibility surely has to be systematically excluded, so a foresightful editor and/or journal would surely not want to set such a *precedent*. A journal would not want authors to (be able to) solicit reviewers as co-authors, since this would create a conflict-of-interest situation, and cast doubt on the general validity and impartiality of their refereeing process!
That is, while it would be weird and awkward to publicly state such a policy, I would anticipate that the journal/editor would object *as a matter of principle*, to putting the reviewer on as a co-author.
Sensible reviewers would also understand this situation, for similar reasons, and *in advance* would expect no reward beyond "job well done". Even the anonymity of the referee should be maintained, as a matter of principle. Thus, we do often find effusive thanks to "the anonymous referee"...
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I also have an experience of being asked to become a co-author by the authors of one paper I refereed. It wasn't a journal of the PNAS caliber, but it's a good specialized journal.
I don't know exactly when the authors asked the editor, but he asked me if it was ok to disclose my identity to the authors because they told the editor that they wanted to include me as a co-author. It seems that the editor was fine with accepting the manuscript (maybe with another round of external review with another fresh referee). But I suggested submitting a revised version as a joint-work to a different journal, and we did so in the end.
In any case, I'm not sure if the reviewer is expecting such a request. As a reviewer, if I can't recommend publication, I always try to improve the manuscript I am reviewing as much as possible within a reasonable timeframe and, if possible, make it potentially acceptable for the journal. This may include proving a stronger theorem than the main result given in the manuscript, repairing critical errors in a proof, and so on.
From my experience, this practice doesn't seem extremely uncommon in design theory (which is my expertise), and I have also benefitted greatly from excellent referees. So, I don't expect anything from the authors, and I do the same when reviewing manuscripts in different fields (although it's practically impossible in some fields I work in because editors want reviewers to carefully read a paper in a very short period of time).
But if you do want to include your reviewer as a co-author, I tend to think that you might want to ask the editor that after a final editorial decision is made for the reasons stated in other answers. And you shouldn't be surprised if the reviewer declines the offer. Probably he or she isn't expecting it; the referee most likely just got excited while reading your great results and a bit "carried away." Such an offer would be helpful if the reviewer is a student or postdoc on the job market, or is trying to get tenured though.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It seems to me that you could reasonably tell the editor now that (1) you think the reviewer's contributions warrant co-authorship, but (2) you realize that offering co-authorship to the reviewer before the review process is complete would improperly interfere with that process, and (3) you therefore ask the editor to wait until the review process is complete and only then forward your offer of co-authorship to the reviewer.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/31 | 995 | 4,269 | <issue_start>username_0: I have 100 slides but most are light weight with pictures. I am afraid it is too much because I can't get it under 1 hour in my rehearsal. I have noted that some slides take me more time to explain. Any suggestions other than reduce number of slides? Maybe use some kind of timer.<issue_comment>username_1: Why are you fixated on the number of slides? What matters is the story you tell, the important messages that people who listen to you will be able to take home after the presentation. Sure, you'd like to say more, but that's not how it works. **Don't plan to talk faster, to run through your talk at lighting speed**. **If the content doesn't fit the time frame, drop some things**. You may not want to hear it, but you have to.
---
Another hint, maybe too late for you, but which I find useful: there are two things which are very interesting to **know about yourself as a speaker**:
1. **How fast do I usually go?** I.e., for a typical presentation, how many slides per minute do I do? This allows you to get a rough idea of timing, for future presentations, even before rehearsing (or allow you to skip rehearsing at all, once you become good at it!).
2. In real circumstances, **am I faster or slower than during rehearsal?** This depends somewhat on circumstances (being tired, being excited, etc.) but it is still interesting info. For example, I know that I tend to digress more during real talks than rehearsals, which means when I time myself I know I have to leave some margin. On the other hand, some people talk faster on the stage.
When my students preparer for their first conference talk, I usually ask them to think of the above, and write down their timing. It is useful to prepare later talks, and also their PhD defense!
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To add to already good answers and comments. A rule of thumb often quoted is "number of minutes in talk"/2 but this number has a huge standard deviation. So both much more and less can still be good. Clearly you need to make sure you get your message across. I have seen someone using up 30-40 slides in a presentation in five minutes but then it was a way to create a "manual animation". It was nevertheless very efficient and gave the desired result.
The problem is that you need to consider, how much *detail* you need to explain your main points. You also need to think about how much time you need to discuss each slide. It is easy to just make loads of bullet points and actually not *tell* anything. In this case you need to consider your audience. If the target of the talk is your fellows in the department then they are not as deeply involved as peers within your sub-discipline. If the audience requires more background you probably cannot use a vast number of slides because people will soon lose track. With a specialist audience who can understand the slides more intuitively, you may be fine.
*Speed* is also a factor. If you have to much material you need to speed up and you are more likely to not finish on time. You need to pace yourself and consider how your talk will be perceived. A rushed talk is never fun. The result may well be a presentation where you think there are gaps. But that is how it is. You need to make decisions about what must be included and what could be discarded. Sometimes you can add the discarded material (figures) to the end of the talk in case someone asks questions where they can be used for the answer. That usually comes across as being well prepared.
*Reduction*. Since you ask if how you can reduce the slides, I will suggest looking at each and every one and think: *Is this necessary?* I am particularly thinking about figures. *Necessary* in this case means if it tells something unique that is used to build towards the conclusion(s). A follow up question before deleting it is perhaps *if it can be merged with another slide?*
Finally, and as a side comment, I do not think that you are new to Beamer is at fault. Using Beamer/LaTeX is great and for me the fact that producing a slide is slower than in, say, PowerPoint is a bonus. It helps me from just generating too many slides since I have time to think about each and everyone as I go through the process.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/10/31 | 1,975 | 8,601 | <issue_start>username_0: *Disclaimer: I am quite fresh as a researcher, even more as a reviewer.*
I am reviewing a paper that appears to report a well-conducted empirical study, with proper data analysis. The results of the article are interesting and relevant for the journal.
However, I am very concerned with how the paper was written. I will provide some of my concerns of the report here:
Besides many grammatical errors - which I forgive as English is not my main language as well - the article is badly structured and often confusing. It fails to clearly state the research questions. No all the hypotheses are well supported by the literature review. It omits several key studies in the literature review. It often makes strong claims without a proper reference. It often fails to quantify stuff, falling to the tedious "a lot", "many", "few", "circa", etc. It is quite mysterious on certain aspects of the research design-e.g., a control group is suddenly mentioned without really clarifying what constituted the control group, and the paper reports that the experiment is not even a controlled experiment.
In sum, *for the first sections* I have nearly a comment for each of the manuscript paragraphs. I will do my best as a reviewer. I will provide all possible suggestions for improving the manuscript. Whereas I am confident that the results of the study are interesting, and that the research design is sound, I don't know if failing to clearly write the manuscript is a reason for suggesting rejection or for recommending major revisions.
Where is the line in this case? The journal does not clarify this in its reviewer guidelines.
In case of suggesting a major revision, what if the authors still fail to provide a clearly written and organized manuscript in a second round? Could I still request for major revisions?<issue_comment>username_1: 1. I would recommend emailing the journal editor to ask for some of these clarifications. There might be certain unwritten policies endemic to that particular journal.
2. In general, you can ask for multiple rounds of revisions (major or minor) until you are satisfied. Peer review is supposed to be an iterative conversation. However, as I mentioned earlier, there could be certain journal policies regarding the number of revisions which you might get addressed if you talk to the editor.
3. As a reviewer, if you feel that the article should be rejected, you are free to make that claim. However, personally, I always give at least one chance to a paper (however horrible it is) to redress my comments.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Journal instructions vary so exactly what can be done may also vary. But, as a reviewer you re "only" suggesting a verdict based on your review. An editor will make the final decision based on your and one or more reviews.
One question you can ask is whether the revisions you suggest can easily be accommodated within some reasonable time frame. As an example, I edit a journal where we allow six weeks for "major revisions" (three for minor). Unfortunately, this time frame may not be obvious to anyone but the editor. But, you probably get a sense if the paper contains enough good science to be worth waiting for or if a new submission at some later time would be better.
Usually, you provide a report that is passed on to the authors in some way but you also provide a confidential note to the editor. I suggest that you detail your qualms about the paper and try to explain your thinking about the potential for this paper and whether it may benefit from either rejection and possibly later resubmission or by taking it down the "major revision" route. You can then provide you sense of how much time might be required for the changes so that the editor obtains a sure footing for the decisions. It is always good to receive a little of "pros and cons" from the reviewer.
In the end the editor will make the choice and it will be based on more views than just yours. Providing the best substantiated view you can will most likely be welcomed by the editor
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: >
> It fails to clearly state the research questions. No all the hypotheses are well supported by the literature review. It omits several key studies in the literature review. It often makes strong claims without a proper reference. It often fails to quantify stuff, falling to the tedious "a lot", "many", "few", "circa", etc. It is quite mysterious on certain aspects of the research design-e.g., a control group is suddenly mentioned without really clarifying what constituted the control group, and the paper reports that the experiment is not even a controlled experiment.
>
>
>
I strongly recommend including this paragraph **verbatim** in your referee report.
This description is not obviously consistent with your claim that the paper "appears to report a well-conducted empirical study, with proper data analysis". Is it actually possible, even in principle, to have a well-conducted study without a crisply stated research question or a clearly-defined control group, or a proper data analysis that uses "a lot" and "circa"?
These are *very* basic flaws, independent of the authors' first language. If they were spread throughout the paper, they would be sufficient to recommend rejection. If these problems appear only in the introduction (and later sections clarify the research questions, experimental design, and so on), then they may not warrant rejection, but they certainly require major revisions.
The discrepancy between the initial sections and the body of the paper suggests that a student wrote the former, and the PI wrote the latter. At least, I hope that's what happened. It's appropriate to be gentle (but firm) with the student, but a bit less forgiving of the PI for not advising the student better.
>
> In case of suggesting a major revision, what if the authors still fail to provide a clearly written and organized manuscript in a second round? Could I still request for major revisions?
>
>
>
Yes.
----
If the authors' revision does not sufficiently address the concerns in your initial report — regardless of whether your concerns are about presentation or content — your response to the editor should be "The authors' revision does not sufficiently address the concerns in my initial report; therefore, I cannot recommend acceptance."
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The difference between a major revision and a rejection can be thin, because after a rejection people can of course still significantly improve the article and resubmit. Many journals have a deadline to submit a revision. In this case, I think:
If the required work can reasonable be performed in the time scheduled for a revision, then recommend a major revision. If the work is *so* substantial that it would take a lot more time than that, then recommend rejection.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: So, I'm in your place, reviewing the paper, and these are my (=your) findings:
The good:
* **"A well-conducted empirical study"**
* **"Research design... [is] good"**
* **"proper data analysis"**
* **"The results ... are interesting"**
* **"The results ... are relevant for the journal"**
The bad:
* **"I am very concerned with how the paper was written."** -> suggesting it could be written otherwise
* **"grammatical errors"** -> Rectifiable.
* **"article is badly structured"** -> suggesting a different structure would be good.
* **"article is ... often confusing"** -> given what you've written above, the confusing parts can be rewritten or removed.
* **"It fails to clearly state the research questions."** -> So it *could* state relevant questions; or none.
* **"No all the hypotheses are well supported by the literature review."** -> What, people can't make their own hypotheses? What you can really complain about is:
* **"Omits ... key studies in the literature review."** -> Solution is obvious.
* **"makes strong claims without a proper reference"** -> Claims can be weakened to fit the actual results.
* **"Fails to quantify stuff [:] ... "a lot", "many", "few", "circa", etc."** -> Rectifiable.
* **"It is quite mysterious on certain aspects of the research design"** -> Still, you decided it was well designed. Mystery could be dispelled, apparently.
Recommendation: Resubmit after major revision
---------------------------------------------
Plain and simple. If the good part makes you want to publish the thing given a perfect writeup, then at worst they need to rewrite their paper. No "lines" here.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/10/31 | 848 | 3,746 | <issue_start>username_0: I find the SE sites, especially Math.SE, MathOverflow and CompSci.SE, extremely useful for solving specific problems I encounter during my research. But I have one concern: if I ask a question in an SE site, and then describe the same question in a paper (whether I got an answer or not), then this might be considered a breach of the anonimity requirement, because, one of the reviewers might be a member in one of these sites, see my question and know that I am an author of that paper.
Is it possible that my paper will be rejected because some parts of it were published as questions on the web?<issue_comment>username_1: I think there's two parts to the question, one about anonymity, one about content.
In terms of anonymity, it's unlikely that your paper would be rejected, at least in my field (which is not math/CS). While papers are submitted anonymously, in reality, reviewers sometimes have a good idea of who the author is. A reviewer can recognize the submission's subject area and approach from other work you've published/presented, or be tipped off by little things like the citation of an unpublished thesis (which likely only the author would know about). If reviewers think they know the author, and there's a conflict of interest, they contact the editor; if they don't see a conflict of interest that would bias them toward or against who they think is the author, they just review it. That's been my experience at least.
In terms of content, it's a bit dicier. I know this isn't something you're asking about, but I figured I'd address it for completeness sake. I assume that you're referring to questions that are fairly small, narrow, and specific, and whose answers don't make up the core of your paper. If so, no problem. But an editor or reviewers might take issue with you using answers you get here as your own, especially if they're central to your argument. You probably know that already, and I've never seen it occur in any blind review I've done, but I feel better including this caveat in my answer to your main question.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You should carefully check the Creative Commons Attributions Share Alike (CC-BY SA) license agreement under which this site operates. You will find a link at the lower right corner of this page or simply use the [link](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). The license essentially tells you that you can use and distribute the material, even commercially, provided that you make correct attribution and that any material that builds on it is shared under the same license. The license can be waived through permission (see the CC-BY SA page).
So from this perspective you are not doing anything wrong as long as you follow the license. I also do not think any journal, editor or reviewer would hold use of an SE site against you as long as the material can pass review, the license is followed and that the source for your information is provided. Also check [Attributing contributions to academic work that occur in Stack Exchange](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/1580/4394) for more information.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It's becoming a common practice to cite answers on SE if they get used in papers. I'd strongly recommend (at least for the second question) that you cite answers you get. There is indeed a risk that this violates anonymity requirements (because you're not supposed to cite material that can reveal your identity), but you can get around that by merely citing "an answer on the stackexchange forums" with "identity withheld to preserve anonymity".
In this way, you make it clear whether the result is yours or not, without breaching rules.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/01 | 1,108 | 4,673 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm currently a first year undergraduate student in pure math but recently I've become interested in neuroscience and related fields. Is it possible to pursue neuroscience and cognitive sciences without a medical degree?
If yes, do you know any universities in North America or Europe that accepts people with pure math degrees in programs that are related to neuroscience and bio-mathematics?
Sorry if my question is too naive, I don't have much information about academic stuff yet.<issue_comment>username_1: At least in the US, a neuroscience or cognitive science PhD program generally admits people with undergrad or masters degrees, which generally can't be medical degrees since many US schools do not offer medical degrees at those levels.
So the answer to your first question is yes.
As for the specifically a math background, I expect that most schools would consider such an application. Even in fields that have corresponding undergrad majors, it's not uncommon for people to enter PhD programs from very different undergrad studies. An application would have to address the question of having an adequate background and understanding of what the field is like.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In one word: absolutely!
For Psychology the top rated public university in the US ([UW Madison](http://psych.wisc.edu/index.php/graduate/prospective-graduate-students/admission-and-requirements/graduate-school-admission-requirements)) states absolutely no specificity for an undergraduate degree for consideration, and in fact no psychology department I could find in my short searching stated any such requirement. Even most engineering schools, for example, don't require an undergraduate degree in engineering for consideration (though they often state a preference) - and this includes what in the US we refer to as "Industrial Engineering", which includes a variety of fields that do work in the cognitive sciences.
For neurology, the picture is a bit different, but the answer is still "yes". For neurology there is "clinical neurology", which are usually programs geared towards medical students (those seeking a medical degree - not necessarily who already have one). However, for pure "neurology" degrees the fact is the same - they don't universally require a similar undergraduate degree.
However, on the other side a word of caution - some degree programs state a preference for a related undergraduate degree. [The University of Pittsburgh Neurology](http://www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/programs/masters/) department states:
>
> "In general, successful applicants have a BS degree in neuroscience,
> biology, chemistry, or psychology with a cumulative grade point
> average of at least 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale), and a cumulative Graduate
> Record Examination score of at least 160 verbal, 150 quantitative and
> a 4.5 in analytical writing."
>
>
>
Every department sets its own requirements, and just because one says "in general..." doesn't mean they don't admit people who don't fit their exact stated mold - just that your chances will be higher.
Being an international candidate (I assume), you'll probably have to apply to more programs as the chance for admittance is generally small per application to US schools (it's not uncommon for schools to accept 50% of domestic applications, and but only 1-10% of international applicants), but again - this is not all that uncommon.
If you had the opportunity, it wouldn't hurt to try to direct some independent study or work towards even a single mathematical problem that relates to something like decision or control problems or statistics - which you could then provide as an example of proof that you are interested in cognitive sciences, etc - but you don't have to.
Bottom-line, you will have to figure out what angle of attack you'll want to have on the cognitive sciences. It is a very big field, and you can technically do cognitive science in the field of Business (especially Behavioral Economics), Psychology (where most undergraduates are required to take a course in cognition), Engineering, Multidisciplinary design/art programs (like Human Computer Interaction), Computer Science (especially in Artificial Intelligence), Neuroscience/Neurology, Linguistics, and even Philosophy. None of these require medical degrees, either.
On the downside, if you don't also acquire a medical degree they generally won't let you cut people open and play with their brains or run them through radioactive/high-magnetic machinery by yourself (but you can collaborate with people who can!). If that's OK with you, no medical training is required.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/01 | 1,803 | 7,377 | <issue_start>username_0: The author *Anonymous* has 74,305 publications in the Scopus publication database. Those include 32,476 peer-reviewed articles, most from the 1980s and 1990s.
Why would anyone write a peer-reviewed paper anonymously?<issue_comment>username_1: In one case that I know of (Anonymous, 1969; <NAME>) the article summarizes a then new report on terminology. The paper is published in a high impact journal in the field but is not a research article and not a review article, just a summary. The purpose was to inform the community and after that people reference this paper rather than the report, which before internet was hard to get.
The reason why the authors were anonymous in this case was that they felt no-one in particular should be personally associated with this summary (get credit as if it was a scientific paper when it really was not). The report was made through a large international effort with international peer review. So from this perspective, the Anonymous author has a function to fulfil. The material becomes possible to reference and it is not tied to a person but a community. It would, of course be possible to call the group working on the report something and then use this communal name instead of "Anonymous" as is also sometimes the case in larger projects.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I searched for the author Anonymous in PubMed (the life sciences publication database), and found 26 results, which shed some light on your question.
Some paper titles:
* "I was sexually harassed as a junior by senior doctors: it still goes
on, and it needs to stop"
* "My own story: dealing with depression"
* "A mind surrounded by a moat: a first-person account of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis"
* "Trying to overcome racism in the NHS"
So in many cases the authors are describing a sensitive experience or medical condition they have and they do not want others to know about. Alternatively the author could be a whistle-blower. It may also be used in some cases where the editor wrote the piece but does not take credit, but I am guessing this is usually not the case.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: In one famous case, a statistician had to use a pseudonym (he used A. Student instead of Anonymous, but basically the same idea). <NAME> was employed by Guinness as a researcher and I'll just quote [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sealy_Gosset) here:
>
> Another researcher at Guinness had previously published a paper
> containing trade secrets of the Guinness brewery. To prevent further
> disclosure of confidential information, Guinness prohibited its
> employees from publishing any papers regardless of the contained
> information. However, after pleading with the brewery and explaining
> that his mathematical and philosophical conclusions were of no
> possible practical use to competing brewers, he was allowed to publish
> them, but under a pseudonym ("Student"), to avoid difficulties with
> the rest of the staff.[2] Thus his most noteworthy achievement is now
> called Student's, rather than Gosset's, t-distribution.[1]
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: [This paper](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01584980) was published anonymously as a critique for lack of mathematical foundation on optimization literature. The paper shows a ridiculous algorithm that meets all accepted criteria for having a sound theory supporting it.
>
> Editor's note: This manuscript was transmitted, torn and tattered, to Mathematical Programming by <NAME> with a letter, stating, in part: “I have refereed many papers which proposed optimization algorithms without studying their effectiveness; it will save me much time to have here a single reference I can cite, saying ‘This algorithm solves all the problems yours does and, on the available evidence, equally well.’ I therefore recommend publication ⋯ and hope that the author will come forward to receive ⋯ what he richly deserves.”
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Publishing anonymously made (makes) sense in a society where internet comunications is not part of a citizen's daily life of living (and work). For all the reasons already presented here. Mainly due to safety concerns.
(...)
That reality changes to the oposite (of of being unsafe) when is meet the above internet requirement. Europe, in 2005 (ish) meet that minimum requirement. In today's european digital reality (2021), publishing anonymously is no longer safe, nor advantageous. Even when considering top secret "military" projects.
(...)
To better understand what i just said, i invite the reader to study how prototyping and business creation is made (online) with all available to read, listen and see, from idea conception to a running business. And I'm refereing to well known businesses such as was the case of google 20 years ago and more recently any open source businesses demostrate.
(...)
One must also consider, patenting and patents are now available to download and study for free. With all the business frenesim well known nowadays, best protagonized by Elsevier.
This leaves academia (some in panic , others static) behind, when forcing their scientific method while forgeting to include the latest technological adavances into their research activities.
(...)
In summary,
research laboratories are required to open to the world outside, and when doing it, gain access to:
* real live data for their resarch project studies and activities. This results in bigger datasets on presented findings when publishing
* in turn, live data, aquired from any IoT data acquisiton device, leads to the creation of biggest dataset available in history (a dream come true for any true scientific researcher). And to cope with all that data ocean is needed automation tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.
If the reader missed, all above is already happening in a publicly acessible enviroment, not anonymously. Think for instance geo located data.
(...)
Finally,
I consider to be more urgent , the chalenge of overcomming vertical rankings in science, for instance incresase the number of *index* used in sci. metrics, at the same time a researcher gains access to above metioned digital tools and devices. While doing it, research activities will enable faster scientifc prodution, with increased collaboration\*, cooperation\*, partnership\* all happeing #live, in real-time and more importantly asynchronously (with minimal disturbance of a research daily work schedule).
In the end, the researcher can expect great improvements in quality of published research. Publicly knowing is a safer practice to deliver science in the world. (and more)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: Why not?
Actually, why would anyone write not anonymously?
What's the real point behind a list of names, especially in a scientific article?
Papers are written for the purpose of the advancement of science.
Not for personal advertisement.
Names can still be registered with the journal editor and/or with a regulatory organisation.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: Scopus has 82,000,000 documents. You have found that less than one in a thousand is attributed to anonymous. The consensus view is that papers should not be published anonymously.
Upvotes: -1 |
2013/11/01 | 1,867 | 6,517 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm writing a philosophy essay. The essay is required to answer a particular question by analyzing, in turn, four particular philosophy essays; the essay needs to follow the outline below.
1. Restate the question.
2. Introduction.
3. Analyze essayW by Mills
4. Analyze essayX by Shue
5. Analyze essayY by Locke
6. Analyze essayZ by Hospers
7. Answer the question with information from essay analyses.
Where do I need to write (Author, Date) in my analyses? Each analysis will be about an essay, and will reference that essay in most of its sentences. Do I need to include the same citation in every sentence that references that essay? That seems like it would aggravate the reader.<issue_comment>username_1: I am not knowledgable about the specific best practices in philosophy, but I would say that you should cite in the least obtrusive fashion, while still being unambiguous.
For example, if your four essays have four different authors, and you do not cite other works by these authors, I would:
* Cite each essay when you first introduce it, e.g. in the introduction.
* Then avoid using citations, e.g. simply saying *“Hospers relies in is essay on concepts X and Y”*
* In the first sentence to each of the separate analyses (your parts 3 to 6), make clear what essay you are looking at and cite it again:
>
> In this section, we offer a detailed analysis of *essayY* (Locke, 1698), looking in particular at …
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I often see this issue when reading student lab reports in psychology. So for example, a student is paraphrasing a number of claims made by Smith (2000), so they write:
>
> X is related to Y (Smith, 2000). The cause of some stuff is blah blah (Smith, 2000). Then the system does that (Smith, 2000). But several reasons for this include A, B, and C (Smith, 2000).
>
>
>
One problem with this form of writing is that it does not make explicit the link between statement and citation. There are many possible links between citation and statement (e.g., Smith asserted a claim; Smith conducted research and obtained a finding; Smith is one reference among many where a generally accepted fact in the field is asserted; etc.).
In general, if you are writing critical commentary about a particular article, then your writing style will need to be explicit about claims made in the target paper and what is your analysis. One way of restructuring the text is to make the author explicit in the text. E.g.,
>
> **Smith (2000) proposed** that X is related to Y. **He found evidence that** the cause of some stuff is blah blah. **He went on to show that** the system does that. **He proposed** several reasons for this including A, B, and C.
>
>
>
Note the full in-text reference is provided in the first sentence. The remaining sentences make it clear that the propositions are related to the citation in the first sentence. Furthermore, the connecting words (e.g., "proposed", "found evidence", etc.) provide further information on where the propositions came from (e.g., theory, mere assertion, empirical evidence, etc.).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The brief answer is, yes, you need to cite your source each time you refer to it. If you have ten places you make use of a paper, be they quotations, justification of claims made, indications of further places providing supporting evidence, then each of these ten uses must be backed up by an inline citation. However, as Jeromy notes, this is not as onerous as it sounds, since if you write in a natural style and describe who carried out the work, then you only need to add the date in parentheses. The *Chicago Manual of Style* (CMoS) provides several other mechanisms to minimise the amount of text taken up by inline citations, which is important for readability.
Background on Chicago's author-date system
------------------------------------------
The current (16th) edition of the *Chicago Manual of Style* (abbrev. CMoS-16) gives extensive documentation on how its author-date citation style is defined and to be applied in chapter 15: the style is one of two supported citation styles, the other being the notes&bibliography approach, where citations are generally given in footnotes using the title of the work, rather than the date. Note that both the author-date and notes&bib citations styles are used in philosophy: *Proc. Aristotelian Society*, e.g., uses author-date, while *Ethics* uses notes&bib. The system described in the 16th ed. is a substantial simplification of that in the 15th edition of CMoS: make sure you refer to this edition.
Example
-------
The following citations might appear in the body of a text. I've put an example of using a citation possessively, which can help quite a bit in making citations blend naturally into text.
>
> Strawson (1950)'s critique of the theory of descriptions put forward by Russell (1904) has generated a considerable literature (e.g., Donnellan 1960, 1978; Dummett 1973; Kripke 1977; Ludlow and Neale 1991). Ludlow (2005) provides an overview of this body of work.
>
>
>
Then there should be a references section at the end containing each cited work. I've given examples of works with multiple authors, two works by the same author, citations from a book as well as from journals. Note that titles of books and journals are italicised; titles of articles and book chapters are placed in quotation marks.
* Donnellan, <NAME>. 1966. “Reference and Definite Descriptions.” *Philosophical Review* 77:281—304.
* ————————. 1978. “Speaker Reference, Descriptions, and Anaphora.” In P. Cole (ed.), *Syntax and Semantics 9: Pragmatics*. New York: Academic Press, 47—68.
* Dummett, <NAME>. 1973. *Frege: Philosophy of Language*. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
* <NAME>. 1977. “Speaker Reference and Semantic Reference.” In French, Uehling, and Wettstein (eds.), *Contemporary Perspectives in the Philosophy of Language*, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 6—27.
* <NAME>, and <NAME>. 1991. “Indefinite Descriptions: In Defense of Russell.” *Linguistics and Philosophy* 14:171—202.
* <NAME>. 2005. “Descriptions.” *The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy* (Summer 2005 Edition), <NAME> (ed.). Retrieved from `http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2005/entries/descriptions/`.
* <NAME>. 1905. “On Denoting.” *Mind* 14:479—493.
* <NAME>. 1950. “On Referring.” *Mind* 59:320—334.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/02 | 1,876 | 6,425 | <issue_start>username_0: I was wondering the correct format for citing when including both book edition and the page range of the chapter.
From owl purdue on citing chapter (APA):
>
> Author, <NAME>., & Author, <NAME>. (Year of publication). Title of
> chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), *Title of book* (pages
> of chapter). Location: Publisher.
>
>
>
Would the correct format then look like this?
>
> Author, <NAME>., & Author, <NAME>. (Year of publication). Title of
> chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor (Eds.), *Title of book*
> (**Edition, pages of chapter**). Location: Publisher.
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: I am not knowledgable about the specific best practices in philosophy, but I would say that you should cite in the least obtrusive fashion, while still being unambiguous.
For example, if your four essays have four different authors, and you do not cite other works by these authors, I would:
* Cite each essay when you first introduce it, e.g. in the introduction.
* Then avoid using citations, e.g. simply saying *“Hospers relies in is essay on concepts X and Y”*
* In the first sentence to each of the separate analyses (your parts 3 to 6), make clear what essay you are looking at and cite it again:
>
> In this section, we offer a detailed analysis of *essayY* (Locke, 1698), looking in particular at …
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I often see this issue when reading student lab reports in psychology. So for example, a student is paraphrasing a number of claims made by Smith (2000), so they write:
>
> X is related to Y (Smith, 2000). The cause of some stuff is blah blah (Smith, 2000). Then the system does that (Smith, 2000). But several reasons for this include A, B, and C (Smith, 2000).
>
>
>
One problem with this form of writing is that it does not make explicit the link between statement and citation. There are many possible links between citation and statement (e.g., Smith asserted a claim; Smith conducted research and obtained a finding; Smith is one reference among many where a generally accepted fact in the field is asserted; etc.).
In general, if you are writing critical commentary about a particular article, then your writing style will need to be explicit about claims made in the target paper and what is your analysis. One way of restructuring the text is to make the author explicit in the text. E.g.,
>
> **Smith (2000) proposed** that X is related to Y. **He found evidence that** the cause of some stuff is blah blah. **He went on to show that** the system does that. **He proposed** several reasons for this including A, B, and C.
>
>
>
Note the full in-text reference is provided in the first sentence. The remaining sentences make it clear that the propositions are related to the citation in the first sentence. Furthermore, the connecting words (e.g., "proposed", "found evidence", etc.) provide further information on where the propositions came from (e.g., theory, mere assertion, empirical evidence, etc.).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: The brief answer is, yes, you need to cite your source each time you refer to it. If you have ten places you make use of a paper, be they quotations, justification of claims made, indications of further places providing supporting evidence, then each of these ten uses must be backed up by an inline citation. However, as Jeromy notes, this is not as onerous as it sounds, since if you write in a natural style and describe who carried out the work, then you only need to add the date in parentheses. The *Chicago Manual of Style* (CMoS) provides several other mechanisms to minimise the amount of text taken up by inline citations, which is important for readability.
Background on Chicago's author-date system
------------------------------------------
The current (16th) edition of the *Chicago Manual of Style* (abbrev. CMoS-16) gives extensive documentation on how its author-date citation style is defined and to be applied in chapter 15: the style is one of two supported citation styles, the other being the notes&bibliography approach, where citations are generally given in footnotes using the title of the work, rather than the date. Note that both the author-date and notes&bib citations styles are used in philosophy: *Proc. Aristotelian Society*, e.g., uses author-date, while *Ethics* uses notes&bib. The system described in the 16th ed. is a substantial simplification of that in the 15th edition of CMoS: make sure you refer to this edition.
Example
-------
The following citations might appear in the body of a text. I've put an example of using a citation possessively, which can help quite a bit in making citations blend naturally into text.
>
> Strawson (1950)'s critique of the theory of descriptions put forward by Russell (1904) has generated a considerable literature (e.g., Donnellan 1960, 1978; Dummett 1973; Kripke 1977; Ludlow and Neale 1991). Ludlow (2005) provides an overview of this body of work.
>
>
>
Then there should be a references section at the end containing each cited work. I've given examples of works with multiple authors, two works by the same author, citations from a book as well as from journals. Note that titles of books and journals are italicised; titles of articles and book chapters are placed in quotation marks.
* Donnellan, <NAME>. 1966. “Reference and Definite Descriptions.” *Philosophical Review* 77:281—304.
* ————————. 1978. “Speaker Reference, Descriptions, and Anaphora.” In P. Cole (ed.), *Syntax and Semantics 9: Pragmatics*. New York: Academic Press, 47—68.
* <NAME>. 1973. *Frege: Philosophy of Language*. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
* <NAME>. 1977. “Speaker Reference and Semantic Reference.” In French, Uehling, and Wettstein (eds.), *Contemporary Perspectives in the Philosophy of Language*, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 6—27.
* <NAME>, and <NAME>. 1991. “Indefinite Descriptions: In Defense of Russell.” *Linguistics and Philosophy* 14:171—202.
* <NAME>. 2005. “Descriptions.” *The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy* (Summer 2005 Edition), <NAME> (ed.). Retrieved from `http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2005/entries/descriptions/`.
* <NAME>. 1905. “On Denoting.” *Mind* 14:479—493.
* <NAME>. 1950. “On Referring.” *Mind* 59:320—334.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/02 | 853 | 3,596 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm a pure math phd student and the supervisor gave me two papers so as I find an idea to research but the subjects are unrelated and I can't concentrate on one of them and can't decide which one is likely to be a fruitful subject, What should I do?<issue_comment>username_1: First, it depends on the country you're in, the type of funding you're applying for, and probably to a smaller extent on your field of research.
In case you already have an agreement with a supervisor, then you should probably look to him for advice on choosing a topic, but make the choice yourself. Given that he sent you papers on these two topics, you can probably assume (absent any evidence to the contrary) that both would make a good and fruitful subject. Thus, choose with your heart: what problem is most exciting to you?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I understand your situation because I recently started my PhD.
You do the following:
1. Try to come up with ideas from those two papers
2. Apart from that try to come up with own ideas of yourself
3. Take all the ideas with you in a meeting with your supervisor and tell him frankly what you want to work on.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This is a tricky question. In principle, of course, it's best if one comes up with one's own question/project. However, it is all too easy to accidentally, from inexperience, choose a too-hard, or boring-to-experts, project, or, more subtly, a project in which neither you nor your advisor has any special insights to give you an edge over anyone else.
Especially if you are hoping to make a run at the "research post-doc" game, you'll want to have done Ph.D. work that is of interest to experts in that field. A novice has the obvious difficulties ascertaining whether a given topic might be of interest to experts, but your advisor should be able to clarify this. I have seen examples of people working enthusiastically on a PhD topic, and finish the degree, only to have no one care at all, and no job offers result.
Also, I don't think it's the case that a "smart-enough person" can pick random problems (that are of interest to experts) and expect to make significant progress merely by wanting to. While it's true that "fresh eyes" can be helpful, literal inexperience is rarely useful. I tend to think that one's advisor should give "insider advice" about un-obvious possibilities for progress.
Thus, in reality, I think that the true choices available are something like first choosing an advisor based on their expertise. Then ask them for guidance. Presumably they will not dictate a project, but merely suggest, giving *you* choices... but it is very important to continue the iteration of "getting advice", rather than just privately making a choice and assuming it is wise. Lacking the information and experience your advisor should have, it is essentially impossible to make good choices on your own. Tentative choices, to be discussed with your advisor, yes.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I think in general the role of the PhD should increase trough the course of the project. In the beginning, the supervisor will have a significant role, both in selecting the subject and performing daily duties. This is needed imo to get the unexperienced PhD going. Later, the role of the PhD increases, and the supervisor takes a more passive role.
In the Netherlands, it is customary to write four journal papers as a PhD (4 years). While the first might be an idea that your supervisor came up with, your last should probably be your own idea.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/03 | 567 | 2,497 | <issue_start>username_0: I teach a writing course designed to prepare international students for graduate school, mostly social science majors. The students have no experience writing academic papers. I have found that lists of sample TOEFL and GRE writing topics, such as [this list of sample writing topics](http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/989563wt.pdf) found at ETS, serve as good essay topics for these students so that they can practice organizing their ideas in writing. These topics are: (1) simple; (2) can be addressed by students from any major or culture; (3) and can be supported by the students' opinions, not research.
Next term, the course will focus on introducing research methods. Were can I find topics that are: (1) similarly simple; (2) can be handled by students from any major; but that (3) will require students to rely on academic journals for support? I need students to practice gathering information, evaluating the credibility of sources, and assembling their ideas and evidence without getting bogged down in the complexity of the subject.<issue_comment>username_1: When I have taught research methods for undergraduate work, I find that it is best to give the students a lot of freedom while still requiring acceptance for the topics. I do not think giving a list of acceptable topics is the way to pique the interest of students.
It is better in my experience to guide them and let them know that *they* know their field better than anyone outside of that field, so they are capable of finding a suitable topic by themselves.
I have had students who choose "I want to study the effect of someone smiling at you." It could be an interesting topic but, since my students are all business majors, I give them the restriction is that it must be related to business. When they submit this topic, I hand it back and ask them "How does this relate to business as I said all research in this module must?"
I guess I could provide them a list but I really think that will just end up limiting them. Better to coax them out of their shell and get them to really start thinking and choosing and living with the consequences of their decisions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: As far as I am concerned research methods are disciplinary in nature. Even restricting your topics to social sciences, and your research skill focus to literature reviews, I'm not sure you're going to be able to craft topics suitable for all social science disciplines.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/03 | 1,150 | 5,023 | <issue_start>username_0: I learn math on my own. And I sometimes end up generalizing theorems. I do not claim that these generalizations are ground-breaking. However, I feel these generalizations are not entirely obvious at first-sight.
Could I publish a paper on such a generalization?
Making this more relevant to the community at large, how do you know when your "new" ideas are paper-worthy? Should one pursue research directed only by external trends? As in, if I were to publish a paper, should I only look for current areas of research in order to conduct research that would be relevant to academia today?<issue_comment>username_1: This is a very hard question in general, and is defined by a combination of absolute standards and community opinions. It's very hard to answer your specific question ("can I publish these results") and I don't think this community is the right forum to even ask that question.
But your second question is a good one. There are some things to keep in mind:
* make sure your ideas are indeed new. It's easy when working independently to be aware of the published literature, but not be aware of the large cloud of "folklore" knowledge that floats in the air of a community. You'll get a paper rejected because something is "well known", even though you can't find a specific reference and no one provides one. To figure this out, it would help to approach an expert in the field, or at least someone you trust.
* What kind of research you pursue is a complex combination of external trends and your interests. If you go too much towards external trends you might not find much pleasure in it. If you go too much towards personal interests (unless you have impeccable taste) you might find yourself isolated. It's all about balance. Similarly, while looking at current areas of research will tell you what's likely to be publishable, that's not the same thing as what's interesting or useful. Again, having some contact with people in the community might help a bit.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: The only way to "know" if your material is publishable is to know the literature on the subject. I used "know" because all publications go through per review and that is the final hurdle your paper must pass before the answer is given. So the question really becomes what must be done to pass peer review?
So you need to know your subject by finding and reading all relevant literature. An interesting personal observation is that it is easy to think you know more than you really do if you are not familiar with a specific field. Getting yourself up to date is hard work. Apart from the research literature, there is of course need to master the basics. As editor and reviewer I see many manuscripts presenting measurements that in themselves might be good but where interpretations are shallow and sometimes trivial because they have missed relevant research. Remember that journal rejection rates, although they vary, can be from below 50% to up to 90% for the more prestigious journals.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: Even professional scientists cannot know if their last idea is original and new (and so, if it is worth publishing).
Today science is too big, too complex and too separated in different specialties to allow one person to have a general overview (this is the "[Big Science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Science)" issue).
However, there are people who are specialist of evaluating scientific contributions. There are *referee* of Journals.
So my answer would be to try to be published. Even if the paper is not accepted, it is the opportunity to have feedbacks, references and to see what your idea deserves.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Complementary to username_1's and Peter's more comprehensive answers that you should *definitely* take into account: (+1 to both)
*Use ArXiv*; ie. publish it yourself. Go ahead and write your findings down and put them in public. This will be a good exercise as :
1. you will be covered for plagiarism etc. and you 'll be also able to refer other people's attention to it. It will be immensely easier to attract people attention to something tangible than just referring to "some idea you think it is great". As Torvalds said : "*Talk is cheap. Show me the code.*" (or Maths in your case).
2. people you do not know, can actually find you; or even cite you for that matter. I know a lot of people who regularly read ArXiv papers to keep up to speed with the bleeding edge of stuff. You might be lucky and really get some attention from people that actually care for your work.
3. you will see for yourself if what you wrote can be formulated in a research paper and it doesn't come across as some ''back of the envelope'' calculations. You might even identify where feedback from a collaborator would be helpful.
If you think you are up to something good, put it up there. Worse case scenario: nobody bothers and you never know if you were right or wrong.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/03 | 865 | 4,133 | <issue_start>username_0: If you review a paper which relies on results some other paper and you do not have access to that paper, is it acceptable to contact the editor and ask whether the author can provide a copy of the referenced paper? Are requests like this reasonably common?
Or should the referee simply take the word of authors that their conclusions based on the referenced paper are correct, even without seeing that paper?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, if the paper is crucial to the work, I don't think there is anything wrong with asking the editor to provide it to you. I think the editor would probably check for it himself first (in order to save time), and if not possible would relay your query to the authors. As an extreme measure, if the editor was unwilling to do this, I would simply consider writing back saying you are unable to fully review the paper because access to this crucial reference was not provided.
So, in short: **do not let your lack of subscriptions get in the way of doing of thorough review**.
---
Now, there are some other ways around this. First, maybe you can find that paper in the usual ways: through interlibrary loan or on the “grey market” (ask a friend who's got more comprehensive subscriptions that yours). Second, maybe the editor offers reviewers some service that can be of help already (for example, Elsevier journals offer a 30-day free access to the Scopus database to their reviewers).
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are two aspects of the question: Should you try to find the necessary information (papers) to do a good review? And should you contact the author of the paper you review to ask for other sources written by that author?
It is clear that you should attempt to gather all information you deem necessary to perform your task as reviewer. Since journals typically only accept published materials to be used for sources (with the possible exception of unpublished data or personal communications) you should be able to find such information given some time and work. That said, I doubt that many would keep a review on hold just because they have not been able to find a specific source unless that source is absolute key for a critical (in the negative sense) aspect of the paper. It is, however, possible to inform the editor that you have not been able to check up on this particular aspect since you are unable to obtain a copy of the paper within a reasonable time. Although it is always possible to purchase papers from publishers, I do not think we consider such actions within the expectations placed on a reviewer.
Now, the second aspect about contacting the author for more information should be handled with care. As an editor, I would first of all want to be aware of such communications. Peer review is based on an objective evaluation for materials and although a simple request is not likely to change much it simply removes part of the desired distance between author and reviewer. One solution to this, which I would prefer is for the reviewer to contact the editor and ask for the material (from the editor or from the author through the editor). It has not happened to me that i have received such a request but I would not consider it other than a positive. I would also add that if a reviewer is lacking some key piece of information (as stated in the previous paragraph) I would greatly appreciate knowing about this weakness in the review. Given such information, I could, as and editor, add key comments of requests to the author to improve the paper in some respect.
As a side-point, I would like to add that some papers that totally rely on other previously published on, for example methods and error discussions, should include enough of a summary to make the paper stand on its own in its entirety. It is thus possible to request a major revision with the explicit wish to see additions to the paper to remove the necessity to have to read other papers for key aspects. I fully realize the delicate balance in such requests since no-one is striving for excessively long publications.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/03 | 1,561 | 6,764 | <issue_start>username_0: After a few years of graduate school, I've noticed that I may not be asking questions and making criticism in the workshops in the best way. By "best," I have two goals for comments. The first (selfish) goal is to develop a reputation for being a intelligent, insightful colleague with good comments. The second goal is to effectively communicate my concerns to help others improve their research. Luckily these goals are mutually reinforcing.
Observing others in my department's weekly workshop, the questions that usually get the most attention are those that are phrased quite strongly, even aggressively.
My tendency has always been to be polite and not try to put someone on the spot about their work. I gently communicate the problems I see with the work. As a result, presenters often do not listen. They brush off the questions as if they are unthreatening and thereof of limited concern.
I do not want workshops to be a threatening or aggressive environment, but it seems like only questions that get the presenter's adrenaline flowing regularly warrant proper consideration and response. Maybe I'm going too soft and I can find a middle ground without being one of the aggressive (sometimes rude) ones.<issue_comment>username_1: I am not sure that your questions at a conference are necessarily a major concern. If you look at how science is propagated, conferences are typically a step before publication. Therefore, it is noble of you to think of it as a point where you can provide constructive comments to authors about their work. However, the most critical point comes when work is published and peer-reviewed.
Based on your experience at conferences (which I to some extent share) you can ask yourself the following: Is the author/presenter interested in your comments. If he/she is, then it would be counter productive to ignore your questions. The question-and-answer format, on the other hand, is too brief and fragmented considering the time constraints of a presentation schedule to be the forum for constructive criticism. That is probably also why the more aggressive questions dominate. In the end, there is nothing wrong with approaching a person during a break to initiate a deeper discussion. you will then also get a better feeling if your comments are welcome.
A final thought. I tend to think as the saying: *it is sometimes better to be silent and seem a fool than to speak and prove it*. You can exchange "fool" by whatever trait you wish.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Just a couple of thoughts on this (not so recent) question:
>
> The first (selfish) goal is to develop a reputation for being a intelligent, insightful colleague with good comments.
>
>
>
If everyone went into a workshop or conference talk with the primary goal of "developing a reputation for being an intelligent, insightful colleague with good comments", then...yikes. Chaos would ensue. Luckily I've never seen this; the closest I have seen is in faculty meetings, where often I feel that being a good colleague requires me to say something from time to time just to be heard, rather than because I think I am contributing something absolutely essential to the discussion. It is, frankly, one of my worse habits: I shudder to imagine what would happen if all of my colleagues behaved the same way.
You should speak up in a talk because you think that something you say will be directly helpful to the speaker or to others, or because you didn't fully understand something the speaker said **and** you have reason to believe that a quick question and answer could set you back on track. I don't think that you should aim to make yourself heard specifically to impress your colleagues: that seems too likely to backfire, *either* because what you say is not as insightful as you think or because the speaker and the audience will not appreciate your commandeering more than your fair share of the speaker's time.
>
> The second goal is to effectively communicate my concerns to help others improve their research.
>
>
>
Yes, that's a good reason to speak up. What you say about "too soft" questions getting brushed off by speakers sounds like a "local phenomenon" rather than a general truth about such talks. Where I come from, too-pointed questioning is more likely not to have the desired effect: a speaker either becomes flustered and the entire talk becomes (at least!) temporarily derailed, or to avoid that they say "I don't know" and move on without really thinking about the question. For several years this type of thing happened often in response to questions of mine that I didn't even realize were so pointed, so I have (somewhat) learned to correct in the opposite direction: by trying to ensure that my questions are friendly and do not come off as quizzing or challenging the speaker. But mine is not a universal truth either: I think it just depends on the local culture involved, maybe even the specific group of people in the room.
>
> I gently communicate the problems I see with the work.
>
>
>
If you feel like you see a *problem* -- rather than just asking a question about something that you may not properly understand -- then pointing this out during the talk itself may not be ideal. The following **is** in my experience a universal truth: people don't like being told they're wrong. Do you want them to stop short and try to "fix" their work on the spot? I think that if you really have something to say which vitiates a substantial part of the talk, it will be better for all involved if you wait until after the talk and speak solely to the speaker about it. (Admittedly, *j'accuse* moments in talks can be pretty entertaining for the spectators: see e.g. the beginning of [this wonderful story](http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=118&part=all). Spoiler alert: as amazing as this beginning event is, yet more amazing is that it is not what the story is really about at all.)
I might go so far as to say that it is not really "fair" to raise a serious objection during a fixed-duration talk. The speaker has other things on her mind and plate besides understanding and addressing your specific concern. Often in a talk it turns out that the brilliant professor's lightning-quick refutation of the speaker's work is not actually a refutation of the speaker's work: it was based on some kind of misunderstanding or miscommunication (e.g. people using terminology in subtly different ways or elided technical hypotheses). When this happens the majority of the audience cannot really follow what happened and goes away with a vague impression that something was wrong with the speaker's work. That's not really fair.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/03 | 664 | 2,559 | <issue_start>username_0: I am writing a blog post citing several paywalled papers. Could I also put graphs, diagrams or photos from these papers in my blog post under fair use?
My field is medical object detection and I would like to show examples from the papers where the authors show in which cases their algorithms fail.<issue_comment>username_1: Personally I have contacted the first or authors directly and asked them for permission and most of them have replied within 2–3 days. Also my librarian had advised me to refer to [Sherapa/Romeo](http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/) (a listing of journals and their policies). Some journals are very lenient and wouldn't mind using images if you have explicit permission from author. Important thing to note is once journal is published, the author waives away all his rights and only journal paper has rights on the work.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Whether the articles were paywalled or not, you should resolve your problem in three steps:
1. **Content license**: check if you can find a version of the figure with liberal licensing terms. The paywalled version certainly does not fit the bill… but you may find the same figure (or a similar one) in a pre-print version of the paper, under a different license.
2. **Obtaining permission for use**: even if the content is not available under a free license, the publisher can grant you permission to reproduce the image. Nowadays, many publishers use a nice interface called Rightslink. If you look for example at this [random article](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja4067207) from the American Chemical Society (which is far from being the most liberal of publishers), you can see a “Rights and permissions” link. In that particular example, the publisher will grant you reproducing of up to 4 figures of the paper on the internet, even on a for-profit website.
3. **Fair use**: the fair use doctrine is a tricky, murky area of US copyright law. It's not as wide as people generally assume. It has to be judged on a case-by-case basis: see [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use) and [there](http://libraries.mit.edu/scholarly/fair-use-copyright-and-images-faq/). See [here](http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2007/04/26/is-reprinting-a-figure-fair-us/) a notorious case from back in 2007 which is very close to your particular case.
So, my own conclusion on fair use: it's nice in principle, but unless you're ready to hire a lawyer to double-check (or get formal training on that), just play it safe.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/04 | 519 | 2,250 | <issue_start>username_0: It is feasible to assume that you cannot have more than one grant, since getting a grant means that you are paid for a research project and you cannot work on too many projects at once. So answer should be one. Nevertheless there should be some researchers that have more than one grant. How common is that? Is this field related?<issue_comment>username_1: At my institution, most researchers have more than one grant. It is extremely common over a wide range of disciplines, at least in the USA.
Often, one is required to include the "level of effort" in each grant proposal; i.e., the percentage of one's time that will be spent on that project. That number is never 100%; more often, it may be 10-50%.
In many fields, the "principal investigator" on the grant may do only a small part of the actual research, with the bulk being done by students and post-docs. This part is very field-dependent. In some fields, full professors at top universities are expected to have very many grants simultaneously, or at least some very large grants that involve a lot more than the full time of a single person.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Here's one example: the National Science Foundation in the US funds academic researchers. Usually the researchers draws some amount of summer salary from the grant (the rest - most of the grant money - goes to student support and travel). But you can be supported by different grants for different fractions of your summer. It's not impossible to have four active grants, each paying 0.5 months of your summer salary.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You would have to check the conditions of the grants to be sure. This answer is based on my experience with some European grants. Especially for "personal" grants that pay your full salary, it is often not allowed to have multiple of such grants simultaneously. In addition it there are often conditions to ensure you are not being paid twice (from different grants) for the same thing.
The situation in Europe is different from the US in the sense that university employees are paid all year round, not only during the teaching semester. So they don't have to source additional income in summer.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/04 | 2,480 | 10,483 | <issue_start>username_0: I teach a group of bright students who will interrupt the material presentation with questions that will be answered in the next slide or sentence. I appreciate that they are thinking ahead but I have times when I just need to get the information out there and then discuss it when everyone has had time to process.
What advice can you give me? What are best practices for this?<issue_comment>username_1: You stated the question very well: you want to lower the number of 'easy questions' (the ones that are natural at this point), but not discourage them to ask questions altogether. Apart from the usual 'we will get there in a moment' response I see two ways of doing it.
If you think it is seriously needed you could have a conversation with them about it. You say they are bright students so they probably will see the value in restraining themselves a bit. You could possibly formulate some sort of policy:
1. It is always OK to ask a question immediately if there is something that you did not understood.
2. If you have a question of curiosity (like 'but mam, if that is true what does it imply for X?') then you could wait a bit.
If you do that and pause regularly enough (may be not once per lecture but 10 to 15 minutes) so they can ask their questions, then they will not be frustrated yet allow you to deliver the course without too many interruptions.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think it is good to have students feel free to ask questions. I often get similar question in lectures and just answer by either moving to the next slide and continue the lecture with a "good question, I was just getting to that" or "good question, I will get to that in a moment". The result of that is hopefully that students get more and more comfortable with you covering material and with that security questions may actually decrease over time. yes, it is frustrating some times but it means the students are concentrating on your lecture and that is really what you want so don't change.
One can of course ask oneself what is causing the questions. Is it that the material could be presented in a better way (order). use the comments to reflect on the way you present the material and try to see if you can "defuse" such questions by some re-organization.
One practical matter is to make sure your present the core points first before discussing how you arrive there. Then the route will be more clear and the wait for the culmination avoided. I am of course not certain this is valid in your case but you can consider approaching the train of thought in a different way than "normal".
With time (running the lectures a couple of times) you probably get a good picture of what are repeating questions and you can actually use them in your lecture by saying "you may now wonder why [something] and I will get back to that in a moment" (or what may be appropriate. Do not be afraid to experiment!
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: When I get such questions from my students, I always answer the same way: "I am **so** glad you asked that!"
I think it's a mistake to view such questions as a negative phenomenon that should be avoided and prevented. For one thing, the question shows that the student is paying attention and drawing the proper conclusions. But consider the benefit to all the other students, those who might not have formulated the question yet: the question serves as proof that what you're teaching is useful.
Consider two alternatives (using an example from computer programming):
---
**Teacher**: And that's how you let a user input a number.
**Student**: What if you want to take many numbers from the user? Do you have to copy and paste the same code over and over?
**Answer A**: Please save your questions until after I show you loops.
**Answer B**: I'm **so** glad you asked that! Avoiding copy and pasting code is an important habit for computer programmers. So let's talk about *loops*...
---
The student's question served as a perfect setup for the next lesson, and in a way that convinces other students that the lesson is practical and necessary. It's like teaching with the Socratic method ("why is this useful? ... because it..."), except that you have an accomplice in the audience instead of having to talk to yourself.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: Another option that I saw once and I thought was, frankly, pretty great:
In my Introduction to Logic class my professor taught from Powerpoint slides, and the slide was divided into two sections, the main section on the left, and a small column on the right. The column on the right was titled "Questions You Probably Have" and was exactly that. Underneath each question in bold it either said "Next slide!" or "Ask me!" And so, inevitably, people would ask the "Ask Me!" questions and he would click the "Ask me!" link and it would jump to a tangential slide and he would go into the details.
And if someone asked him something not on the slide, he would always say, "Great question!", give the questioner a bonus point on the next exam (even though he did this no one abused it, I'm sure he had a plan if they had, but it was another amazing thing he did), And as he answered it he would scribble a few notes. Before the next class, he would show us the new slide he'd created (or the new text in the next slide) for that question and ask us if it made sense now.
Basically, as a shortcut method it covered all three of the core issues this sort of thing entails:
1. "Here's what's coming up next."
2. "Yes, yes, you are very clever for thinking of that."
3. Getting a coherent lesson together that encourages feedback.
Also, it was kind of meta and spooky when the slides really would predict questions I'd have, when really it was just the material presented itself the same to hundreds of other people before me.
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_5: I agree with all the other answers, but I would make one more very practical suggestion: Consider putting more material on your slides! If you have 50 slides and students are always asking about material on the next slide, then putting it onto 25 slides will remove half the instances of this.
Of course, this can be taken too far, but it is worth considering.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I find that when I interrupt people, it's often because I know that if I wait until there's a lull, I'll have forgotten my question.
For people without faulty memory, it's still a good habit not to blurt out a question the moment it pops into your head. I find that most of my questions are answered if I just hold on to them for a minute or two.
In a formal classroom setting, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask students to hold their questions until you've finished talking (or, if you can remember, when you prompt for questions). For those, like me, who can't hold on to a thought for more than five seconds, there is pencil and paper...
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: How about giving a summarized, quick answer and then saying "I'll have more details soon"
Personally, if someone asks me a question and there's a "summary version" I like to give that at least give that summary info.
I think it's worth experimenting with. I wish I had an example. Well here's a the basic idea:
>
> Student: "Is there a difference between how we see stars and planets
> in the sky?"
>
>
> Professor: "Yep, one of these celestial objects twinkles. Reflect on
> that , and I'll give the full monty after I finish this."
>
>
>
I totally realize it can be annoying/vexing to be a little derailed, but if we want to accommodate the curious students, we may be best served by giving them a snap-shot/summary/challenging-yet-telling answer without feeling derailed. The fact is that a snap-answer of "I'll get to that soon" is a little useless. Well at least to me
Good luck, no doubt instructing is an art!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: From my experience, most questions are due to the need to feel clever.. less are due to the need to understand more. In both cases, instructor has to appreciate the question. Whether or not you will immediately answer, is a different issue from having to making the student feel appreciated.
Psychology is an important part of learning. Hence, it is an essential part of teaching is to make students feel good. Your immediate response must be positive:
* Good question
* I like it when you think ahead
* That is the right question; congrats
* etc
Then, it depends on your judgement if you want to answer immediately, or simply say:
* your answer is coming up in a moment
* stay tuned
* etc
alternatively, some people defer questions to the end of session. That has more negatives than positives. I prefer to keep them engaged and encourage them to challenge my ideas.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: I would try to find out whether it's due to:
1. a structural problem in the lecture,
2. students trying to demonstrate to each other that they are clever, or
3. the students' eagerness to work with the material.
If it's the first, the questions will focus on the basics to understand it and it's important to address them. Perhaps restructure the lecture to address them first. I'd check which questions were asked when and whether I could improve the thread of the presentation.
If it's the second or the third, it might help to ask the students to write down those questions that are not immediately relevant for understanding what is said, but more for application and borderline cases or whatever. You can do a question "break" after each unit -- indicated by a special slide that also summaries the previous material. It will take some work to enforce the rule change, but the questions break might allow the smarter students to play with the material and the slower ones time to process what was said. And once students trust you that you do this they might refrain from interrupting. A good "table of contents" or advance organizer in the beginning of the lecture might also help.
One last thing, when it comes to questions, there's rarely a need to pick the students immediately. Just nodding that you have seen the question and continuing until you come to a break might also work. (If you acted differently beforehand, it might be necessary to explicitly explain the change to the class.) After a couple of "Thanks, you already answered the question." the interruptions could reduce.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/04 | 287 | 1,214 | <issue_start>username_0: I just started working with this professor, I am beginning to really like the work they are doing in his lab. When do you think I should ask him if I can do a PhD under his tutelage?<issue_comment>username_1: This depends on how far out you are from starting your PhD (are you a first year undergrad, halfway through a masters or somewhere in between?).
Ideally you should ask as early as possible so that if you are rejected you have time to find someone else. Although the earlier you ask the less likely you are to be accepted, since you may not have shown ability or determination yet. I feel that the best time to ask is probably after the professor has indicated that they like your work.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I would tell the professor that you're interested right away, but don't necessarily expect him/her to say yes or no immediately. Rather than saying "would you advise my Ph.D. research?", just say, "I'm planning to do a Ph.D. and I'm interested in working under your supervision."
You'll probably get a "let's see how this first project turns out", but it will be easier to discuss in the future and the professor will know you are interested.
Upvotes: 4 |
2013/11/05 | 765 | 3,243 | <issue_start>username_0: I was wondering if I should include my high school details in the resume of my graduate school application ? It's unclear about this bit since we are not actually submitting any proof of high school records during grad school application( they only ask for undergraduate details).
But my high school final examination details are particularly good (better than my undergraduate credentials infact!)<issue_comment>username_1: **No**
You already explain why: *they only ask for undergraduate details*. The graduate school admission committees already have too many applications to look at. Don’t over-load them
Your idea is actually counter-productive. If your high school record is better than your undergrad credentials, they would wonder why your academic achievement is regressing instead of progressing.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: No.
It's actually a bad idea to include documents which are not actually required. Some universities even specifically mention not to send documents which are not required.
And also as @scaahu explained, it will give an negative impact as you did poorly in undergraduate compared to high school.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have to disagree slightly with the stark "No" answers.
**Only when those details provide evidence of your potential for *research*.**
*Some* information about your high-school experience *may* shed light on your research potential. Certainly you would want to mention winning the [Intel Science Talent Search](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Science_Talent_Search) or the [International Olympiad in Informatics](http://ioinformatics.org/index.shtml), or describe the peer-reviewed research papers you published as a high school student.
But your high school *grades*? No, leave them off.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: I won't do that.
it is a waste of time. for a master's degree and pHD, I would use only my university achievement.
Completing graduate studies gives an employer a positive signal.
However, social conditions (different in each country) may oblige you to write your previous education.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Ordinarily the answer is no, because it is no longer relevant to your aptitude for college, let alone graduate studies.
But if you won some national (or even local) science fair award for research in your current (or a related field), that would be relevant.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: I think that someone should include an accomplishment such as "valedictorian" on a resume, if nothing else from high school. I would especially do this if the high school was quite large. I was the valedictorian at a large high school and I put it on my resume even though I have completed graduate school. I have received negative feedback from a few people about it, but when I looked up their backgrounds, they didn't have any accomplishments even similar to those that I have at all... I mean, these people didn't even have a 3.0 GPA in college. Therefore, I chalked the "stark NO" responses to jealousy. People with similar accomplishments to mine seem to have no problem with me putting that one accomplishment from high school on my resume.
Upvotes: -1 |
2013/11/05 | 3,447 | 14,593 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm in the midst of creating a series of videos to teach statistics online. Do any of you have a list of common do's and don'ts that can make a big difference?
Also, how does one assess how much to explain a topic, since you do not get instant feedback by looking at facial reactions to a given concept?
In real classroom scenario, it's quite easy to course correct if someone didn't understand the original thought, but in video, you have just one shot. The student either gets it or he doesn't.
Any way to minimize this?<issue_comment>username_1: Do's:
1. Do your best to pretend there are students in the classroom. Obviously, don't ask questions to the void, but scan the room, move about as you might in a real classroom (but don't go off camera), and take "normal" pauses if you're writing on a board. This is an example from a short video I made for some of my pre-algebra students, and there weren't any students in the classroom at the time: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=est2X6-BVkw>
2. Write big enough and clearly enough so the video picks it up. In the video I linked to, I realized that the pen I was using was pretty crappy, so I switched to a better pen (although I probably should have redone the entire clip). Even better is the way Khan Academy does it, with a digital board that he writes on during the lecture.
3. Make sure you have a good microphone, preferably one that is wireless that you put on your shirt/lapel. There is nothing worse than trying to watch/listen to a video that has poor sound.
Don'ts:
1. Don't block the board!
2. Don't be afraid to make a few mistakes that remain on tape. You can spend too much time re-doing videos for simple mistakes. If you make a mistake and recognize it immediately, fix it as you would in a real classroom. If you find a mistake in post-processing, feel free to overlay the video with a text box that fixes the error -- no one will care. Obviously, you can re-record if you wish, but keep in mind what your time is worth.
>
> How does one assess how much to explain a topic?
>
>
>
This is one of those times you have to do the best you can and try to elicit feedback from the students after they watch the video. The reason I posted the video I linked above is because I realized that a number of students didn't get it when I first taught the topic.
>
> In real classroom scenario, it's quite easy to course correct if someone didn't understand the original thought, but in video, you have just one shot. The student either gets it or he doesn't.
>
>
>
Well, that's one difference between face-to-face instruction and online video instruction. This is what email correspondence with the professor is for. You can also consider posting response videos to frequent questions you've been asked via email.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Wow, I am on the same boat! Way to go!! Anyway, I'm slowly experimenting as well and am happy to share what I know.
**Synchronous or asynchronous, or both?**
Foremost, you'll need to decide if your online module is going to be synchronous or asynchronous.
*Synchronous* module involves real-time interaction. For example, online conference where students can type in comments into a twitter-like platform or directly ask you through microphone. The pros about this format are that you can clarify any problem instantly and the format mimics class-room interaction; the cons are that one technical error can throw the whole class into chaos, and multi-tasking in talking, reading, typing, and clicking through slides require some skill. It'd be better to have a teaching assistant to comb through the incoming messages and give you a synopsis of students' question.
The number of enrollment matters very much as well. If there are a few students only, you can afford to tune up the interactivity (e.g. more discussion, Q&A, etc.) If the enrollment is high (from my experience, more than 20 or so,) then the format may have to be less spontaneously interactive: perhaps a relatively longer lecture, coupled with break-out group discussion, and a big wrap up as a whole group.
*Asynchronous* module is a bit more like learning anything online. For example, online presentations/workshops through which students can learn the materials at their own pace. Comments and evaluation are usually done through blog post, e-mail, or forums. The pros of this formats are that students have a lot of flexibility, and the lecturer usually has to devote one large fixed chunk of time to set up the workshop, and it can run itself (more or less.) The cons are that the preparation is extremely intensive and assessments have to be carefully chosen and planted here and there to make sure the course is working.
**Hybrid or fully online?**
Some online course would mix in-class lecture and online together. For example, students may meet at a classroom for the first two weeks to learn about the requirement and format of the class plus some fundamental background lectures. And then they'll go back home and switch to online. Some other hybrid model may involve coming to class every alternate week, etc. The pros are quite apparent as the lecturer can establish a real presence, and it also provides some opportunities for networking between students, which is a crucial component especially in graduate schools.
Another sub-genre of hybrid online teaching is called "[flipped classroom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip_teaching)," through which students will watch the lecture in advance, complete the assignments, and come to class for more challenging group exercises, case studies, or journal critique. I am actually planning two classes using this format and hopefully I can get a real sense of what a difference it may make.
You may also conduct your course fully online... that way no one have to travel, leading this format to have probably the lowest carbon footprints, if limiting such is part of your aspirations.
**Microlectures**
For video lectures, length matters. I'd suggest breaking up your lecture into one-idea, one-bite chunks. Formats like [microlecture](http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7090.pdf) will be a good place to start. For me, I usually try to explain an idea within 10 slides in 20 minutes, which is usually the attentions span for someone sitting in front of a computer. Never make hourly videos; they are a pain to download and very tedious to sit through. Pausing and coming back later is possible, but it's better to capitalize on the online features and make learning (esp. technical subjects like statistics) more modular.
One good way is to incorporate some **Interspersed exercises**. For instance, after the microlecture on normal distribution, build in some exercises asking the students to check the *z*-score table, or answer some online quizzes about application. What exercises to put in there depends on your class objectives and competencies to be taught.
You also mention that:
>
> In real classroom scenario, it's quite easy to course correct if
> someone didn't understand the original thought, but in video, you have
> just one shot. The student either gets it or he doesn't.
>
>
>
which is not totally true. As long as your script is clear and correct, students can always replay the video to listen again. They can also try the exercises to evaluate themselves. From the exercises you can detect problems and misunderstanding to some extend, and provide feedback accordingly. I would like to emphasize that this is a pretty different generation we are looking at, *gen Y and after are actually much better as a communicator online than in person*. In the tool paragraph I'll talk about some ways to let student provide feedback or ask question about the video.
**Combine self evaluation + formal evaluation**
As mentioned above, build in plenty of self evaluations within and between students: online quiz, blog post, comments for others' post, exercises, etc. Let the students know in advance that how they will be formally evaluated for grades.
**Be present and don't be always present**
One "curse" of being an online teacher is that students think you're as convenient as the materials you put online. This can be bad cause you may get an e-mail at 3:30 am and you happened to have forgotten to mute the phone that night. Be very upfront about your availability and honor the promised office hour. You can use online communication such as Skype, Google Chat, etc. to communicate with students. Also, make sure to give them an expected time for your response (I have been using one office day, which seems doable.)
**Use the right tools**
Looking for the right tools has been the biggest deal for me by far. I broke my class into three major components:
1. Lecture: I use a few ways and they all have their own advantages. MS Powerpoint with voice recording is amazingly easy. Users can also correct and re-record on each single slide if you're not happy about it. Adobe Presentation has been wonderful, you may even edit the soundtrack and record over with the corrected script. Both are quite friendly to multimedia such as embedding videos. **Invest in a good microphone**, for recording lecture on screen, a headphone with built-in microphone (around $30) and a quiet room will work fine. For recording real lecture, have some school IT unit hook you up to a wireless microphone. Video lecture + speech submerged in echo + difficult subject = withdrawal.
2. Software demonstration: I use a software called [Snagit](http://www.techsmith.com/snagit.html) to take screenshot video of all software demonstration. The software allows users to export it as movie files, which can be linked to the lectures.
3. Other materials: I use a wiki platform to host all materials. I also authorized all student as editor so that they can maintain a project page in the wiki and collaborate.
Some teachers start going online by videotaping the lecture and upload that online. I feel slightly negative about this approach because it does not exploit the pluses of going online. However, if someone so wants to do that, I'd suggest investing some time to identify a software that allows picture-in-picture. One camera can focus on the lecture, one zoom onto the board or show the slides. Having said that, I have to admit that in most of the "online" lectures I have watched, the board writing is mostly illegible. I haven't incorporate writing into my work, but if I have to, I'll consider to:
1. Use a 3-D project to show my writing onto the board. There you can use thicker pen or play with the zooming to make sure all space on the white screen is used. An added benefit is that projecting on screen does not cause glaring on the video, while a white board may show glaring that obstructs the text.
2. Use a drawing pad and a very simple drawing software (even MS Paint) as your writing tool.
For students' feedback, I have been having some luck with online forum and tweeter-like bill such as [Todaysmeet](http://todaysmeet.com). Todaysmeet allows your to open a chat thread in which student can post questions or comments. You may even archive them if you wish to. Most online meeting software (such as Adobe Connect) also builds in some "raise hand" button; users can click that to initiate a question.
As for video, look for some video markup tools so that student can bookmark a certain section of your video, generate a link and send it to your with related questions. They can, of course, mention the video link and time stamp as well. E.g. "I have a question about a point at 12:45 of the video on [link to the mp4, etc.]."
*Provide ONE and ONLY ONE official announcement site* where students can get the most up to date announcement. Because online teaching involves a lot of software and different forms of communication, it's easy to fall through the schedule not knowing some is due or a new lecture has been released. Make sure all announcement can reach the students' official e-mail address.
Lastly, I cannot stress enough **i) pilot run, pilot run, pilot run!!** Try all modules and make sure they work on at least Mac and PC. You may want to check the course shows up correctly on iPad and Android pad as well. For a very similar reason, don't use any Adobe Flash to make animation. **ii) have a plan B, plan C... plan K**: Isolate your critical control points and prepare a second plan if the control point falls through. For example, if you decide to use Skype for an online talk, but Skype's server goes down, think 1) how to contact the students? 2) Where to re-establish the meeting? etc.
**Study guide**
Because you're not there to guide them in person. It's crucial to have a very protocol-based syllabus. I adopted the idea from Smith's [Conquering the Content](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0787994421). For every single session, list:
1. **Learning goals and outcomes:** After the session, what will the student know and learn to do?
2. **Learning resources:** List all resources including the required and optional reading, supplementary websites, journal articles etc.
3. **Learning activities:** Describe the flow of learning, provide due date or schedule.
4. **Self assessment:** Lay out how the students can assess their learning.
5. **Formal evaluation:** Lay out how you'd assess their learning.
I like this approach very much. Smith particularly emphasizes not to put time-sensitive information in your video, instead, put them on this learning guide. For instance, in the video you can say "refer to the suggested journal article" instead of saying the exact title. That way, you can just update your learning guide without the need of re-recording your video, saving some time to renew your lecture every year.
**Closing remark**
Sorry for this really long post. I still have a lot to say but I guess I have long passed the socially acceptable length of SE responses. Teaching online is a fun challenge, and all I have described here are just a fraction of this domain. There are online interaction, engagement, etc. which are other cans of worm. If I were to do it again, I'd start simple by switching 2-3 classes to online as an experiment, and build from there. It's dangerous to go online in a semester, I'll invest a good 6-month period to be familiar with all the tools. I'd also suggest planning the whole course before putting anything online, because that helped me eliminate a lot of irregulars, and make the format a lot more uniform.
Hope these comments would help, and have fun!
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/05 | 313 | 1,271 | <issue_start>username_0: What are some good (preferably open-source) software for making illustrative videos to explain one's research? I am currently looking for software to make a small video on my research topic that could complement presentation slides. The video may not delve into all technical details, but should summarise all technical content in a compact and entertaining way.
One source that I know of is [Videoscribe](http://www.sparkol.com/products/videoscribe) ([sample video](http://www.videoscribe.co/scribes#video-wSmPIBJWXGM)), but I have not tried it yet. Are there other/better alternatives, especially open-source?<issue_comment>username_1: Not free or open-source, but my institution offers licenses to [Camtasia Studio](http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html), which seems to be the best package out there for slidecasts/screencasts.
[Educreations](http://www.educreations.com/) is a a comparatively much simpler - and cheaper - tool that allows you to create videos but doesn't play as well with slides.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: A friend of mine who is very good at academic video-making says he only uses iMovies these days for video editing. He uses QuickTime to capture screen and audio recordings when he needs to.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/05 | 1,256 | 5,539 | <issue_start>username_0: I am extremely dissatisfied with the Master's program I just began and plan on dropping out ASAP. I currently have no interest in finding another graduate program and instead wish to pursue a job outside of academia. As I see it my two choices are to either stick it out for the rest of the semester and just try to maintain C's, or to simply walk away from it and accept the F's because the drop deadline has passed.
The main question I have is how much more damaging is the option of just walking away mid-semester?
I realize that certain employers will view the situation differently, but I am just seeking opinions here. I have no idea of what industry I would want to work in or how that might affect your answers. Or if anyone has advised students in similar situations, I would greatly appreciate similar advice.
As for my records before this program, I got my BS in applied math and graduated with honors. I am hoping that I can bank on this earlier performance and explain the reasoning behind dropping out to potential employers.<issue_comment>username_1: I would stick it out and get the best grades I can. I would try to monitor my stress level and do things I enjoy as well. The important thing is to finish things in a clean way and not let yourself get to the point where you drop everything and leave.
The job market is extremely competitive these days. A master's degree can have a big effect on what pay you receive and how far you can go in certain industries. You might not feel like a master's degree is worth it now, but you might want to go back to school for a different degree or even to complete the same degree. It's hard to predict what the situation will be for you in 5 years or 10 years. Bad grades now can restrict your possibilities for years to come. Who knows? You might be thinking about getting an MBA in a prestigious program in 10 years and find yourself stuck having to explain some bad grades from years before.
Your first one or two years of work, people might ask about your GPA as well, and leaving the graduate school off might be tricky as it might leave gaps in your employment. Although, I have seen it work to just not put what year you got your undergraduate degree.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I am a little surprised your professors won't work with you to allow you to quit gracefully. If it's for you and you're just moving on I would think they would accommodate you.
The shorter your time in grad school the less bad it looks for quitting, assuming the employer cares at all. If you have, say, all complete coursework and just didn't write your thesis/dissertation, that may be looked upon less favorably than just quitting after a semester. This might tell an employer you can't finish things.
Many more people walk away from graduate school than finish it, and figuring it out quickly won't reflect negatively on you if you can frame it as if you were moving on, instead of failing out. You can better form the "it wasn't for me" narrative if you've been decisive about that. It's good that you've figured out its not for you so quickly.
Unless you want to work in specialized fields or teach something, a Master's degree isn't required. Employers will nearly always take relevant experience over credentials when applying for a job, and I find they tend to prefer experience, with the credential being a nice plus.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Dropping out mid-class is a red flag. It marks you as somebody who has left unfinished business behind, with no clear, compelling reason. I would hesitate to hire you, as you might do the same in the middle of some critical task.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_4: It's important to understand the advantages of pursuing a postgraduate qualification especially in a quantitative subject like mathematics. The truth is the job market is very competitive and whilst an undergraduate degree shows that you are hardworking and you've been through formal education and can think logically, it doesn't necessarily equip you with all the skills you need to thrive in industry. Hence most undergrads still need to be retrained on the job. This largely depends on what type of job you are aiming for but most mathematical jobs in industry require additional skills like programming and advanced numerical skills which not all undergraduates have enough time to develop. I guess you must ask yourself the question "what additional skills will I possess by completing this masters degree?"
Employers are not only interested in a string of degrees on your cv, they are interested in the skills you have to offer their enterprise. I agree that quitting a degree is not a good attribute for the cv and you should have a strong reason for doing so.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: I am going to have to disagree with some of the answers stating that dropping out of programs does not look bad. I have been on many hiring committees for a government agency. In general there are way more qualified (to over qualified) applicants than there are jobs and we are usually looking for reasons to take people's resume(CV) off of the stack. In my mind someone who has committed to a program and then quit shows me that they are willing to quit, whereas someone who only has a bachelors only means they have not really done anything yet. Don't get me wrong, there are lot's of reasons someone might leave a program, but you will usually not get the chance to explain what yours is.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/06 | 2,120 | 8,820 | <issue_start>username_0: If someone's (SO) PhD supervisor is not collaborating on publications from SO's PhD. The problem arose as SO raised his mistrust (for the supervisor) on other academic issues. The supervisor treats student's work as his, and SO does not agree with that.
SO has one paper just rejected from a journal but could be submitted in another journal. This is from SO's PhD, so he would like to publish it and more from the PhD. SO is not sure how to go ahead with this, (with the supervisor or without). The paper is intellectually SO's but the supervisor helped in improving the writing (of the rejected paper). As the supervisor is refusing to collaborate, how can SO publish that? Can SO do that without supervisor name? What could be the consequences?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm no expert on the legalities/ethics of academic publishing. However, here are my 2 cents.
I think if you want to publish papers based on your PhD you should do so.
As far as I know, there is nothing that requires you to get your supervisor's permission to publish your own PhD work. You are also not required to work with him if you don't want to. I think there may be some pressure to put his name on the paper, even if he has not done anything.
So, if I want to go ahead, I would do so. If/when the paper (or papers) get to the point of submission, it might be a good idea to ask him if he wants his name included on the paper.
It sounds from what you say that you already don't have good relations with your supervisor, so you don't have a lot to lose.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The question will benefit from some more clarification. Basically, I feel that just because he has a reputation to claim others' work does not grant you the right to bend the logical decision of assigning authorship.
"Improving the writing" can generally be considered as significant input and thus should lead to an authorship. Whether it may be downgraded to being acknowledged depends on the degree and magnitude of improvement. Changing a couple words here and there probably should go to acknowledgement; anything on par or beyond line editing should conservatively go to authorship, unless it's done by a paid editor/copywriter.
Another information we need to know is what is the supervisor's status in the rejected paper. If he was listed as a co-author, then in subsequent revisions he should be retained as a co-author even he can no longer contribute. An exception is that he explicitly refuses to be listed as a co-author in the next round and on.
Lastly, we'd need to know how did this adviser "refuse to collaborate." Did he refuse to do anything because he believes the first version is good enough? Is he too busy? Or did he say you should drop this article? The stated action is up for too many different interpretations.
Without too many details, I'd say keep him, resubmit and then move on without this person. And should you so loath the idea that he may claim your work, then cut the connection, forget about this paper, and publish independently from him on something new.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: From an objective point of view, this is a matter of publication ethics. You appear to clearly be the first author, meaning you have provided most of the input from original idea through intellectual work including drawing conclusions.
It is not clear to me if you are past your PhD or in the middle of the PhD. Again, objectively, this would not make any difference but in practise, it involves more. If you are past your PhD, your advisor is not much more than any colleague and you as first author should be able to decide what to do with your work, still considering any co-workers who has made sufficient input to warrant co-authorship. If, on the other hand is still in your PhD you need to think about what you need to do to finish your degree. There must be people around with who you can discuss your situation and the way forward. Providing clear advise on this is quite individual and involves much more than can be deduced from your question.
In both cases, you should make an attempt to properly assess the contributions from all involved in the work. This will provide you with something tangible to use when discussing or defending your rights. Note that you need to include all parts of the process from original idea to the finished product. Many forget the initial question which is where an advisor usually provides much insight. At the same time, providing non-scientific input on writing, is not worth as much as many would think. After all, you could probably buy such a service and no-one would dream of co-authorship. It is as you have indicated the scientific intellectual work that counts.
A difficulty arises when someone, in this case the advisor, refuses to publish the material. Of course if the reason is that the material is not good enough that is one thing, if it is a personal conflict it is another. The rejected paper is a non-product as I see it. To resubmit, you need to make revisions and then resubmit. You need to send the manuscript to your co-authors (advisor) and state that you are planning to submit to another journal and that you would wish to retain him (and the others) as co-author(s), and invite comments and input.
I recommend you to look at the following links [ICMJE](http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html), [APA](https://www.google.se/search?q=authorship+conflicts+apa&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla%3aen-GB%3aofficial&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr&ei=tkTuUvqLOqeU4ATz1IGwCA#q=authorship+apa&rls=org.mozilla%3aen-GB%3aofficial), [Am. Psych.](http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/fine-1993.pdf), [PARE](http://www.apastyle.org/manual/related/fine-1993.pdf) and [Union University](http://www.uu.edu/programs/nursing/documents/AuthorshipGuidelines.pdf), [AuthorOrder.com](http://www.authorder.com/) to provide a few. the point is: build your own view and knowledge about authorship/contributorship to strengthen your position.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: If the advisor made a substantial intellectual contribution (or, in fields where it's relevant, procured the grant supporting the work), there's not much the author can do to publish the paper without the advisor's permission. The advisor would have claim to authorship rights if:
* the paper grew out of work proposed by the advisor, or was supported by funds accrued by the advisor;
* the student discussed the work with the advisor and gained useful feedback or guidance about the direction or results of the project;
* the advisor contributed to the writing of the paper.
The last point is definitely true; it's not clear if the first two points hold, but they very well could, given the situation described.
Basically, if the advisor has authorship rights, the student is more or less screwed if they try to publish. If they publish the paper, with an author who has not given permission for submission or without an author who has authorship rights, then that is sufficient grounds for **retraction** of a paper.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I will try to add my perspective, since I have been in sort-of an opposite situation. In many places and fields, **improving the writing is considered as a part of the job of your supervisor, and if the result is yours, it is yours.** I mean, your supervisor is there to learn you how to write papers, and only if you do the research together, it is necessary to include his name on the paper. (Disclaimer: this is only one point of view, and only on the ethics, not on the legal view).
**Example:** I have a paper where I'm the only author. We were writing the paper down together with my supervisor, and it was certainly her who had more ideas on how to write things down (especially the introduction and the conclusions), which articles should be cited etc. Still, all the ideas were mine, all the proofs were mine (it's theoretical CS), so she said that I should be the only author.
**What should you do?** No, you should not, in my opinion, submit the results without your supervisor's consent. IMHO you can:
* Try to approach him again.
* Ask someone else at the same department for help. Just be careful who you choose, either it should be someone you know well and who knows you well, or someone who is dedicated for these cases: someone who should be approached in case of conflicts. The solution is not clear at all, and having insight from someone close in topic, scientific habits etc. could be helpful.
* Publish your thesis electronically on some public repository; this is at least a step how to make your result visible to the community, and you certainly doesn't need your supervisor's permission to do that. For instance [arXiv](http://arxiv.org) accepts theses.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/06 | 1,060 | 4,760 | <issue_start>username_0: Suppose you submit a paper and it is rejected with no suggestion of resubmission, but there is substantial feedback. Do you fix up the paper, based on the feedback and resubmit? Or fix it up and submit to another journal? What heuristic do people use, if any? Or is every case different?
I had a bad experience a few years ago. Briefly: Paper rejected after 1 yr. Fixed it up, resubmitted. Major revision decision after 6 months. Fixed up, resubmitted. Rejected again after another 6 months. This literally went on for years, and was quite, quite horrible. The original draft was in pretty bad shape, in hindsight, which partly explains it, and I'm more experienced now. I guess it was one of those character-building experiences.
However, I'm wondering if on balance, if the journal doesn't want it, whether it is better to cut your losses and move on?
For the record, I'm leaning in the direction of submission to another journal if initially rejected without the suggestion of resubmission. If the journal suggests resubmission, I suppose it is a more ambiguous situation.<issue_comment>username_1: To some extent you answered your own question, every case is different. There is nothing wrong with resubmitting to the same journal, although the paper has been rejected without encouragement to resubmit after revisions. Earlier, such lack of encouragement could be taken as a hint that they do not want to see the paper again, and maybe that will still be the case, but more likely the workload is at such a level that the editors leaves such choices to the author. You are of course free to submit to another journal.
The danger to submit to the same journal is that you may end up with the same editor and the same reviewers. That may not necessarily be all bad but with a new journal you will likely have a fresh look at your paper. You will of course at submission tell the editor that the paper has been reviewed in the earlier journal and was rejected, and also detail what you have done to improve the paper. It would not hurt if you also provide some (good) motivation why you chose the new journal for resubmission. As an editor it is always of interest to know why you made the choice so that one can approach the paper from that perspective.
The trick is to try to figure out if which journal is the appropriate one and there certainly can be strategies in submitting papers. It is not uncommon to try for a prestigious journal with material that has a chance and then resubmit to a more ordinary journal if the first attempt fails. It is always good to have such thoughts in mind when submitting material.
I do not easily give up on papers, some may of course be lost causes for a variety of reasons but any study done and written up properly that presents new non-trivial results should be possible to publish. Easier said than done, however.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: **It depends on the reason for rejection.**
If a paper is rejected because *it's off-topic*, *it's not really interesting*, *it's not really new*, etc.: then perhaps you were too ambitious. A paper may be perfectly written and the science may be very decent, but still rejected from Nature, because its impact is not really large enough.
However, if a paper is rejected with a motivation like *this topic would fit our journal, but some major aspects are missing in the study, and they are so grave that we choose to reject*, then you can start over and submit a fixed study. In fact, I have the impression that some journals that have fixed deadlines for revisions, will reject if it is deemed unrealistic to submit the revision in time. Otherwise, there could be a huge difference between the submission date and the publication date, and that isn't beneficial to anybody.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: A few other details would make it easier to answer your question. Did the paper receive a desk rejection or was it sent for peer review? What was the reason for rejection mentioned in the decision letter?
In case the paper received a desk rejection, it would not be advisable to submit to the same journal, as the editor has probably not seen much value in your paper.
If your paper has gone through peer review, you can consider submitting an extensively revised version of the paper to the same journal, provided the rejection is not due to a mismatch with the journal's scope.
In your place I would make the changes suggested in the feedback and send the paper to another journal. However, if you are really keen on the same journal, you could send a pre-submission inquiry to the editor mentioning the changes you have made and asking if he would be interested in having another look at the paper.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/06 | 455 | 2,055 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a PhD student and I would like to do an internship at an American university or institute. How should I proceed?<issue_comment>username_1: If you are in a STEM field, there are lots of options available to you. There are about 20 national laboratories that take students from every level of education as summer students, including international students. Personally, I've interned at Los Alamos National Lab and at Pacific Northwest National Lab. It's generally very applied work, but it's a great atmosphere for students and is also extremely helpful for making connections with potential future employers. I would look up national lab websites and look at their respective research areas, and contact individuals you would be interested in working with.
The internet is your friend -- many companies and government agencies have programs listed on their website, and many of them don't require US citizenship.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If your advisor has contacts at any of the universities you'd like to work at, I would ask him or her to reach out for you. If you are looking to work with a specific faculty member, that is probably the trickiest route, as faculty members often use the summer to travel themselves, and it is rarely worth the hassle to hire an unknown student for the summer, anyway.
If you don't have a networking contact through your advisor or other faculty members at your school, my next suggestion would be to start networking at a conference, or through a professional organization that you are affiliated with (e.g., IEEE, AMS, etc.). Start getting the word out that you are looking to spend a summer at a U.S. school, and see if anyone has suggestions.
If you are looking for a paid internship, you may be at a disadvantage as an international student, and you are probably more likely to find something if you can fund yourself. If that isn't an option, you might also consider looking at internships in industry, as they tend to have more money for summer interns.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/06 | 808 | 3,521 | <issue_start>username_0: Are there papers that sum up ideas and results from other papers? What are their characteristics/form? Do they provide insights on the field or try to predict the future?
I have read some papers for a class homework and I would like to know whether I should try to summarize and publish it somewhere.<issue_comment>username_1: The sum up papers you are referring to are called *review articles*. In order to write one, you should know the research area in question **very well**.
Note that there are also [systematic reviews](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_review) and reviews of reviews (tertiary reviews).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I second username_1's answer, short and too the point, with adequate amount of emphasis on **very well** :)
I'll expand it a bit by saying that journals are not typically interested in review papers that merely *summarize* other papers in the field. It is not simply a report on the papers you read: this has some value for your studies, but it is not a valuable publication in academic research.
The value of a review paper is to provide **perspective**, giving the author's deep insight into each of the papers and the way they articulate together, his ideas of the directions in that particular subfield, a critical overview of the recent advances and deadlocks still to overcome.
---
However, while your *summary paper* (or *bibliography report*) is probably not publishable in respectable peer-reviewed journals, it doesn't mean you cannot publish it (in the sense of “making it public”). If you are careful about how you title it (not “review paper”), you could upload it to your webpage or to arXiv.org, so that it is useful for other students discovering this field…
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: This is one of those questions that depend on the area.
In some cases you can do a summary or a review, e.g. a [**survey paper**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survey_article) or a [**review paper**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Review_article). These papers are very useful because they provide an overview of the state of the art in some area, (if they are well written) they are good for citing and for anyone who is not yet an expert and is interested in the area (new grad students, interdisciplinary people that can benefit from an overview, etc.)
Sometimes you may prefer to do some **evaluation, benchmarking or comparison**, this is usual in computer science and I guess it's normal in engineering and other sciences (robustness tests, stress tests, statistical significance and that kind of things). So this takes more than listing papers, it takes executing/testing things, maybe on new settings, obtaining new results and publishing these results. The difference with research papers is that you don't develop a new system/theory, you only test them on a new (better) setting.
Finally, some people (but probably not you) can write a [**position paper**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Position_paper), where they make educated guesses about how the future will or should be, the directions of research, etc. This is usually done when you are an expert and your opinion matters. Usually nobody cares about the opinion of grad students. Personally I don't care about opinions in general, but these papers are interesting because they influence decision makers and investment in research, they are self-fulfilled prophecies to some extent.
There may be other possibilities that I cannot think of now.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/06 | 2,367 | 10,153 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm not 100% sure whether this belongs here, but since I am a PhD student (teaching) in the TCS/Algorithms department, I'd like to know what fellow, maybe more experienced, teachers think.
The question at hand is whether we should offer sample solutions to all our exercises for, e.g., a Data Structures & Algorithms lecture.
I am convinced that this would be a highly beneficial service for our students whereas my advisor is against it. Here are the pros and cons that we came up with:
Pros:
* Students have access to high-quality answers when they don't understand something.
* Our expectations on verboseness, conciseness, depth of proofs, etc. can be communicated more clearly.
* A student can individually study using the solutions and is not forced to attend the tutorials if this is not his preferred style of learning
* We (the professor/tutor) have a clearer idea of what solutions to expect since we have to work the problems ourselves.
* The tutor (me) is more free in the design of the tutorial. Without sample solutions, the tutorial basically boils down to writing the sample solutions on the blackboard. Otherwise I can't be sure that everyone has at least seen the correct way how to solve it. Little interaction is involved.
Cons:
* It costs time and/or money.
* Students may stop being engaged in the exercises since they know they can always look at the sample solutions.
* Students may stop coming to the tutorials.
* We can't reuse exercises from past years since students might have access to (and use) past sample solutions.
* If we do it once, the students might expect we do it for every lecture.
To be clear, in both cases the students are expected to solve the exercise sheets on their own, and they will be graded. I'm merely interested in what to offer *after* this has happened.
I think that's all. Optimally, I would like to find some kind of empirical study that proves that sample solutions increase the "productivity" of students. Data always wins. However, so far I couldn't find anything like this.
To discuss the points mentioned above, my general opinion on these matters is that if we can offer more services using little work, we should always do it. If someone really misuses it (as stated in the cons), he or she will notice that this is the wrong approach the latest in the exams. My advisor, however, wants to minimize the time spent on lectures and have me rather do the research relevant to my PhD. Since I have to do the solutions anyway, the overhead for providing a sample solution is maybe 2-3 hours/week.
What do you think?<issue_comment>username_1: I have three types of exercises in my algorithms classes: homework problems, exam problems, and discussion problems. I'm not entirely sure which you're asking about.
I release detailed solutions and grading rubrics for all homework and exam problems, in part for the advantages you list, in part to speed up grading, and in part to better calibrate my own expectations for the students. (If it takes too long for me to write up the solution, the problem is probably too hard for them.) I take them all down again at the end of each semester. I don't actually mind if students have access to my old solutions—as long as they write in their own words and cite their sources—because homeworks are only a small part of the course grade. (Students who are stupid enough to submit my old solutions verbatim, typos and all, are not quite publicly fed to the wolves.)
On the other hand, I deliberately do *not* release solutions for discussion problems (which we discuss in, you guessed it, discussion sections) because **the solutions are not the point**. The point is to practice **finding** the solution. I know students are adults, but it takes a *lot* more discipline to practice hunting when someone just regularly hands you the meat. Also, some discussion problems reappear later on my exams.
**But this is really an individual choice.** I know plenty of algorithms instructors who don't give students solutions, and others who hand out solutions on paper but don't distribute them on the web, and others who distribute them on the web but behind a firewall, and others who beg people like me to please for the love of god stop giving away homework solutions because coming up with good algorithms homework problems is really really *HARD*.
---
**Update:** Starting in 2017, I now regularly release solutions for my discussion problems, typically a few days after each discussion meeting. (Just like homework solutions, I take these down at the end of every semester.) Perhaps as a result, these discussion problems are now effectively fixed from one semester to the next -- in a typical semester I replace 5%-10% of them -- and discussion problems almost never appear on exams. (I should also clarify that discussion problems do not contribute to the final grade.)
I also include an extra *solved* problem in each homework, *with a complete grading rubric*. Again, these solved problems rarely change (as opposed to the problems the students need to solve, which change every semester).
In both cases, the idea is to provide concrete examples of the structure, precision/formality, and level of detail expected from their own work. Realistically, once the discussion sections are over, *unsolved* discussion problems are not as valuable as the solutions; students are busy! And I have *lots* of other unsolved exercises in my lecture notes for students who want unsullied practice.
Writing all those lab solutions (just over 100 pages of text) was a *lot* of work, but now it's done. The net effect of releasing all these solutions *seems* to be positive—more clearly for teaching evaluations, but also for student performance.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to other good points made, let me say that (in mathematics, at all levels) I myself make many "model solutions" and put them on-line.
Obviously the availability of model solutions has positive potential... The issues are the genuine downsides.
One reason for my decision to take this approach was that, especially in upper-division and graduate-level mathematics, enthusiastic students acting in good faith often put either flawed or misguided solutions on-line, and other students look at *those*, ... thus "learning" low-quality versions.
Another reason is according to an over-simplified reasoning: important examples should not be left to students to mess up, and unimportant examples should not be used to waste students' time. I realize this is over-simplified and has implicit hypotheses, but after 40 years of watching people diligently spend time on exercises \_without\_thinking\_critically\_ about any sort of larger picture, I am ever more fond of this pseudo-principle.
Yes, a fundamental objection is that on-line solutions allows laziness/cheating/whatever. And, yes, as username_1 noted, in some venues it's hard come up with good "training exercises". Thus, I can certainly envision scenarios in which a cyclic putting-them-up, taking-them-down could be justified. However, dedicated lazy/cheating people can maintain copies ... And so on. Thus, in effect, it is impossible to prevent laziness/cheating in the face of even modestly motivated lazies/cheats. Thus, I reason that elaborate strategies aimed at foiling laziness/cheating, at the expense of making people acting in good faith have to jump through hoops, etc., are bad.
In mathematics at least, I'd claim that many traditional contexts for "exercises" are somewhat missing the point, *anyway*, so that moving away from the weekly problem sets wouldn't be so bad! That is, to make a large number of "exercises" feasibly do-able by nearly everyone in every class, and in a short period of time, the issues must be *contrived*, not natural. Students understand this, even if only subliminally, and many of the "successful" ones have managed to squelch their critical faculties ("why are we doing this?") to be more economical in their approach to these fairly-random exercises.
Or, at the opposite end, there are the occasional much-admired slim texts where 2/3 or more of the things one needs to know relegated to exercises! Crazy! In this case, the student's disadvantage is even worse in some ways, because the issues are more real, and there're even fewer "model solutions available", *and* they may come away with deeply flawed or misguided pseudo-understandings.
At least in modern mathematics, I think that the inarguable "engage with the material" is too often denatured, to something like "try to prove all the theorems yourself". Supposedly, the side information of knowing assertions of true theorems is enough of an advantage. But this is a strange presumption... proof mechanisms, concepts created to *enable* proof mechanisms that are humanly comprehensible, are as significant as the bald assertions themselves, I think.
So, to advance collective human understanding, putting "models" on-line is good. Yes, there are downsides, and hazards, but this is just the new reality.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: As a CS major who had to take 2 theory classes, I really appreciated the prof who handed took class time to explain and solve each question after the assignment (he didn't hand out the answers so he could reuse them). The prof would usually hand out 3 or 4 questions Monday and solve them Friday (after you turned in your answer).
He would basically act like he was doing the assignment, and was very good about not skipping steps. He'd also explain why he wanted to see the answer in the format, which help several non-theory students (like me) learn how to appropriately write proofs.
At least in America, CS Theory is generally a difficult subject because the rest of CS education is very applied and students are generally unprepared for it. Especially in this course, going the extra mile for students is noticed and appropriated, and will provide a counter-point to the theory prof. who calls students idiots and gets in yelling matches whenever a student ask a question (which also happened to me).
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/07 | 996 | 4,471 | <issue_start>username_0: Lets say a member of a lab has an entirely theoretical idea like "wouldn't it be nice if we wrote software that does X?" The member did give a talk showing how such code would work if implemented. Due to general skepticism about the idea, nothing ever comes of it.
The member never actually writes any of the software while in the lab.
After leaving the lab, the member uses publicly available data and implements the software, as well as developing the mathematical theory.
Is the member required to acknowledge his former lab in authorship? Is this a breach of ethics?
What if the former lab member had previously agreed to letting the PI use his idea in a grant proposal, but the PI then forced him out of the lab and thus out of the grant proposal.
**1. Can the former lab member write up his work for publication? 2. Does he have to make the PI a co-author if he does?**
Extra Information:
The idea was documented as a presentation to the lab. A small simulation with fake data was used to argue this could work. There was some discussion of how it would work when the grant was written, completely the member just saying to others how this idea worked and so the idea was written up in the grant. The PI does not have any training in this area. However, there are plenty of emails where the PI refers to this as the former lab members idea etc. I feel certain everybody in the lab would acknowledge this was the former lab member's idea.
The former lab member didn't actually write any of the grant as the PI claimed to want to collaborate with someone with greater mathematical expertise. So the collaborator wrote the grant, with occasional emails to ask the former lab member questions.<issue_comment>username_1: As far as I can see "member" has developed everything from idea to finished product. There is very little sign of anyone else being involved other than possibly as a discussion partner at the lab. To allow someone to use the idea still does not take away the intellectual property held by the member unless there has been important feedback from someone. So I would not hesitate to try to move forward towards publication with the idea. I simply cannot see any ethical issues based on the details you have given.
Having given the green light, there will always be the issue of personalities. You allude to some level of conflict in terms of the move by the member. It is not inconceivable that the PI may have a different view and this view may not even be anchored in reality. So even if you do everything by the book and have all rights, that does not preclude the PI from doing all the things you express, it really depends on the PI's personality.
In the end member should think through if anyone has contributed to the work to the degree that merits co-authorship. Member can, for example, use the the post [What are the minimum contributions required for co-authorship](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/12030/4394) to set the authorship in perspective.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are actually at least three(3) persons involved: the member, the collaborator and the PI.
There are two parts in the work: the software and the mathematical theory.
Based on the information described in the question, the member definitely owns the software because the original idea was his and he implemented it.
The real question is, who is responsible for developing the mathematical theory? Based on the info, *So the collaborator wrote the grant, with occasional emails to ask the former lab member questions.*, I think the collaborator plays a role. But, how much is his contribution? Anyone else contributes to the development of the theory?
There is another question, did the lab ever receive the grant? Grant proposal and the grant itself are completely two different things. Did the lab ever start to work on the grant (not the proposal)?
In my opinion, the ideal solution is for the collaborator to write the paper if he is the one who develops the mathematical theory. The member will be the co-author. Whether or not the PI is another co-author depends on how much his contribution is.
If the member develops the whole thing including the theory without much help from the collaborator and/or the PI, then the member should be the main author. Who should be the co-authors depends on the invidual contribution.
The above is my opinion based on the limited information I know.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/07 | 2,117 | 8,778 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm about to supervise my first bachelor student and I'm not quite sure what is acceptable and what is not.
The thesis will contain math formulas, illustrations, images, graphs and tables - like any other paper / thesis in physics. The question is, shall I force my student to use (and learn how to use) certain SW tools (LaTeX, Matlab,...) instead of commonly used office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint,...)?
Is it acceptable to provide source files of my thesis and/or Matlab functions/scripts to the student? Note that the field of research is not connected to typography nor data analysis.
**Edit considering JeffE's answer:**
>
> Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to require students to use the software tools that are standard in your field when they begin working in your field, even as undergraduates.
>
>
>
There aren't defined standard, or mandatory, tools to use. Just only vague rules how the thesis shoud look like.
Tools for specialized work, say microhardness measurements and analysis, are set and there can't be any doubts and discussions.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to require students to use the software tools that are standard in your field when they begin working in your field, even as undergraduates.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Clearly define what are your **goals and constraints**, and work from there. What are the things that they need to learn in order to progress further in the field (and someday find a job)? What are constraints imposed by the research project you will be working on?
1. **Goals** — if learning a specific piece of software is *required* to become a professional in your field, then it is a *de facto* standard and they need to learn it. In this, a specific piece of software is just like a particular experimental or mathematical technique.
2. **Constraints** — there are cases where you need to restrict the choice of software to interoperate with others. For example, the student might not be able to choose his favorite programming language for a specific project because he has to use a specific advanced library, which only exists in e.g. Python. Or the project actually is to implement a specific functionality in an existing C++ framework. Or one of the goals of the thesis might be to produce technical documentation to be published in a given format.
3. **Other than that, leave them free to choose whatever works for them.** Be clear and upfront about what you advise them to use, and what you are willing to teach them (and what you cannot teach them). For example:
>
> The choice is yours, as long as your are able to efficiently produce and edit a professional-looking 200-page document with many figures, tables, references and subdivisions, and it adheres to the university guidelines. I myself use LaTeX for writing articles and theses, as many colleagues, and I advise you to do the same. I have little experience with word processors. I can help you if you run into problems with the first one, but will not be able to help if you choose a word processor.
>
>
>
I once had a student who mastered MS Word to a level that I had never seen, and did a superb job in an efficient matter. It wouldn't have been bright of me to require him to use LaTeX when he knew another tool.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I think it is *useful* to expose new students, even undergraduates, to the tools of the field. It's beneficial for them to know what some of this "looks like", it's easier for you to help them if they don't have to bring you up to speed on what they're using, etc.
You say there might not be "standard" tools, but are there some tools that are commonly used? Your two examples, LaTeX and Matlab, are both fairly ubiquitous in "applied math-y" fields, so why they might not *have* to use them in the future, there's a good chance they'll encounter it, or something like it.
The one caveat is that I would have a discussion with the student about their goals and objectives, and make sure the tools you're making them use *are* tools they will use in the future. As a somewhat personal example, despite the inclinations of some of my collaborators it would have been useless to make me learn how to lay out papers in LaTeX, as the standard for my field is *not* that, and all that would have accomplished was adding an extra step in before I converted everything to Word files.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: A certain amount of "tool agnosticism" is a healthy attitude to have, since many people will want to use tools with which they are already familiar. I would be loathe to interrupt someone's already-functional workflow without a strong reason.
However, among those reasons are interoperability and reproducibility. If a student is doing research in your group, then their tools should be compatible with the ones you're already using. More importantly, you should still be able to use the work that they've produced even after they've left the group. So something that would require you to purchase an external license, or may not be well-supported within your group, is probably a bad idea. An "alternate" tool that is public domain, open-source, or otherwise "standard" in your field is probably not such a big deal. (What this means in *your* field is, of course, for you to decide!)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I would like to answer this question for the best interest of the **student's**, not yours.
You are supervising bachelor students. They may go to academia or industry after graduation.
If the student will pursue academic career after he graduates, then you should tell him to use the tools that are widely used in academia because it's for his best interest. I think *force* is a too strong word. To convince him is what you would do.
However, if he will go to industry, why waste his time to learn something he probably will never use for the rest of his life?
If the student doesn't know what he wants to do after he graduates, it's time for him to think about it now. Isn't it?
Here is my personal experience while I was in industry. I had to produce some document which contained math equations. I wanted to use LaTex. MS word was the tool I was told to use because of maintainability issue (no one else in my department knew how to use Latex). I had to follow the order. Matlab is another story. It's also used in industry.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_6: >
> Should I force my student to use certain tools such as LaTeX and
> Matlab?
>
>
>
I think it would be hard to force a student to do so anyway, so do not force them simply suggest it to them. The examples you gave of LaTeX and MATLAB are not particularly difficult to learn. As a Computer Science undergrad I learnt them in my 4th year and it only took a very short time to be productive with them. In fact I was eager to learn and use them, you may find this to be true with your student, so do not assume that your student will resist the idea.
You should also explain why you use such tools and hopefully they will realise and come to appreciate them. Explain that not using the same tools will create more work for the both the student and yourself. My final recommendation is to set them some small trivial tasks at first to build familiarity, which is what my supervisor did. It worked on me.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: Without going into many details. I think of this as a chance for the student to learn not only Math, but things related to research and Academia. You as a supervisor should be able to prioritize. So start by asking him to work with fully professional tools such as Matlab and LaTeX for example, but if you find out that this holds him back from the main purpose of his thesis, then you should be lenient.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: <NAME> says in The Mythical Man-Month
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Np47.jpg)
>
> "A good craftsman is known by his tools"
>
>
>
So if the student has the time, and skill you should force him to use the tools of the trade. You are his trainner, his teacher he doesn't know what he doesn't know, so if the tool is important then he should learn it.
Obviously use judgment the goal is for him to write the thesis not to master tools, so if the deadline is approaching then focus on the product not the tools.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_9: I just recently graduated with my Bachelor's degree and for couple of my classes, I was required to use Latex and Matlab. I am glad the professor told me to use those because it helped me a lot in other classes too and helped me to gain a valuable skill.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/07 | 855 | 3,527 | <issue_start>username_0: I like to use bibliographic software (e.g., Endnote, BibTex, etc.) to manage my references. However, sometimes I am working on an existing article that has been written with APA citations and references written manually. For example, I might be working with a collaborator who has written the first draft or I'm adapting a student thesis for journal publication. As a result, citations get added and deleted, and there are reference errors: (1) citations present with no reference; reference needs to be added (2) references present with not citation; reference needs to be deleted.
So, a common task when such documents are being finalised is to go through the document and pull out all the citations and check them against the reference list and fix any errors. This is generally a frustrating task, because (1) unless you are careful errors can be made, and (2) if the document is edited further, the document may need to be rechecked.
### Question
* What is an efficient strategy for identifying citations without references and references without citations in a document with author (year) style citations (e.g., APA, Harvard)?
* Are there any automated tools that perform this checking?<issue_comment>username_1: In the "old days" this was what had to be done manually. I simply printed the reference list (one-sided print) and went through the text and checked the references I passed in the text and checked the corresponding one in the reference list. This would take maybe 20-30 minutes(?). It is clear that this is easier to do on paper than on screen but it is a very safe way to do the checking. In the end you will (hopefully not) end up with references missing ticks in either the text or the list.
So considering, the time it takes, doing the manual check on paper copies, is perhaps boring but not a terrible loss. Sometimes you pick up on other errors as well. Although one should not rely on external help to solve ones own problems, many journals use copy-editors that check for inconsistencies so there may be a back-up for the stray miss.
As for software, I cannot point at one directly. It would have to be able to match first author name and the year between text and the reference list. I does not sound like an impossible task but I would probably just do the job the manual way in the few cases where this is necessary. You can also ask your collaborator to do a separate initial check (as "punishment" for not using bibliographic software). In addition, if you author in LaTeX then writing the bibliography directly with `\bibitem` and using `\cite` (or `natbib` cite commands) commands will at least do half the job.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Take a look at
www.keytectype.co.uk/keypreps.htm
KeyPreps contains tools for matching citation to references and vice versa for any Word doument.
It gives you a report such
"The citation Smith 2009 has no corresponding entry in the refernence list"
"The reference Bloggs and Layabout (2009) is not cited"
etc
30 day free trial available of the complete KeyPreps package
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The following online solution is (currently) free: <https://reciteworks.com/check>
From the website:
>
> Recite checks that your in text citations match the reference list at the end of your work.
> Recite is optimised for those who use APA or Harvard referencing styles.
> Recite may be of most use to those who don't use reference management software like Endnote or RefWorks.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/07 | 575 | 2,313 | <issue_start>username_0: Related to this question on [cross-checking APA citations and references](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/13921/how-to-check-citations-and-references-match-in-a-manually-prepared-document-with), I often have an existing list of APA formatted references. This might come from a document from a collaborator or it might just be a published article.
I often want to take this list of APA references (e.g., one reference per line) and import them into my bibliographic software in such a way that the reference manager is able to discern what aspects of the reference correspond to author, year, title, journal, issue, pages, etc.
I'm often working with Endnote to do this, but I imagine that once you get the data into any reference manager (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, etc.), it would be relatively easy to export and import into a preferred reference manager.
I'd also be happy with a system that was pretty good but not perfect. In psychology at least, most references are journal articles, book chapters, and books. So a system that imported these and flagged the rest would still be useful.
### Question
How can an existing list of APA references be automatically imported into a reference manager?<issue_comment>username_1: There is a list of tools that attempt to convert formatted bibliographies to bibliography software formats [here](http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/importing_formatted_bibliographies). I haven't used any of them for a while so I can not recommend any of the tools in particular.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The reference management program [Citavi](http://www.citavi.com) does this quite successfully in the case of journal articles, but not so successfully in the case of books (I know this because I work for Swiss Academic Software, the developers of Citavi).
It will not specifically import APA lists, but any kind of formatted bibliography.
This is how to do it:
1. Add the PDF document containing the list of references as a reference to Citavi.
2. Show the PDF in the preview column.
3. Select the text with the references you want to import.
4. In the menu above the PDF click **More > Search bibliography**.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALtHU.png)
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/07 | 475 | 2,212 | <issue_start>username_0: A couple months ago I refereed a paper for one journal. Due to a number of factors, I recommended that it not be published in that particular journal, and gave the author a bunch of comments on how they could easily improve the manuscript. The editor of that journal followed my recommendation (and perhaps the recommendation of other referees I am unaware of) and did not accept the publication.
This morning I received another review request, this time from a different journal but for the same manuscript. I've never had this particular situation occur before, and am wondering what the expected thing for me to do is. Should I review the manuscript again as if I hadn't before, should I let the editor know first and see what they say, or what?<issue_comment>username_1: There are no problems associated with you reviewing a paper again, regardless if it resubmitted to the same or a different journal. Since you have seen the paper earlier and know its earlier problems you can better judge how it has improved and to what extent it is now publishable. You should definitely let the editor know that you have been involved in the process of this paper earlier even if he/she has not indicated the paper has been rejected somewhere before. That information provides the editor with a better perspective of the development of the paper and can make the decision to accept or reject easier since the willingness or capability of the author(s) to improve the manuscript is set in perspective.
You can always contact the editor and state that you are willing to take on the review but felt it was necessary to convey the information. I do not see it as necessary but it is of course a nice gesture.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I generally say "no" in these circumstances. I would say "yes" under either of two circumstances
1) I believe it is suitable for the second journal but not for the first
2) The paper is so wrong that the authors seem dishonest.
Ultimately, the whole journal peer review things comes down do finding two reviewers who think it's worth publishing. The same person rerefereeing is really just wasting everyone's time.
Upvotes: -1 |
2013/11/08 | 430 | 1,830 | <issue_start>username_0: Since the start of the hiring season, I've seen around 20-30 job openings that looked interesting for assistant professor positions in my area of computer science.
However, it's somewhat awkward to ask my recommendation letter writers to send letters to 20 different places. (Is it not?) How many places do people usually target simultaneously?<issue_comment>username_1: Your chance of getting any particular job you apply for is small. To make your probability of success significant, you need to multiply that by many applications. Your recommenders know this is the situation. Try to make things as easy for them as possible. E.g., they would probably prefer to send out 20 letters at once rather than being contacted by you 20 times in the space of a month.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Don't hesitate to apply to a job because of the burden on letter writers. Applying to 20 or 30 schools is quite normal (and I know people who've done as many as 100).
* Firstly, letter writers know it comes with the territory.
* Secondly, the thing you should focus on is making each individual letter less of a burden. It's normal for them to send their letters to an administrator in your department (or sometimes the one where you got your Ph.D.) and to have the administrator send out the letters. You can also use a service like Interfolio, where they only have to submit once.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: If you're coming out of a graduate program, your department or an office in your university may be used to handling the process of sending out letters. Another alternative is to use a service like Interfolio that allows your letter writers to upload a single letter. You can't see the letter (that's what you want), but you can cause it to be sent to whomever you want.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/08 | 540 | 2,408 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm supposed to give a presentation at an academic conference in the coming days but have fallen ill. What is the best way to send my regrets? Should I also send a doctor's note? It doesn't provide details of my condition but does have other personal information such as date of birth and home address. I just wonder if any of this is the conference organiser's business. At the same time, sending an email without proof that I am truly incapacitated doesn't seem like it's enough either. I'm still not sure what to do about the presentation I'd prepared - whether or not to send it anyway etc. I'm trying to focus on getting better, but I am worried that this medical issue will ruin my good name. Any advice would be appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: Just tell the convener that you will be unable to present due to unforeseen circumstances. That is enough and will be understood — there can be many reasons and it won't be a first time. He/she will be glad that you inform him/her at all — it happens all to often that people simply don't turn up without giving any information at all. The convener shouldn't need a doctor's note.
That being said, is any co-author travelling to the conference, or perhaps a colleague familiar with your work? If yes, you could ask one of them if they are willing to take over your presentation. I've done this for colleagues and although I wasn't able to answer detailed questions from the audience, it's still beneficial both for me (visibility to experts in the field) and to the first author.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Just inform the organisers as soon as possible, they might want to rearrange the programme accordingly, and therefore might to contact other authors to see if they agree to change their scheduled slot. You don't have to provide proof, as username_1 says, things like that happens quite often.
In addition to username_1's suggestion to see if a colleague could present your talk, you could also check with the organisers if you can present your work remotely (if your illness allows for it). I attended a conference recently where one author presented his slides through a Skype conversation, and another talk was presented as a video, while the author was available in the end for any question. Although it's not ideal, it's still better than not presenting your work at all.
Upvotes: 4 |
2013/11/08 | 596 | 2,601 | <issue_start>username_0: Twelve months ago I started working on a project (which began at that time) with my advisor.
Six months ago another student (refered to as A in the following) joined the project.
We are now publishing a paper on our results. My advisor asked me if I would find it reasonable that A’s name was put **before** mine in the article. Our advisor’s reason is that she believes A has contributed a lot more to the publishable results and making figures for the article.
I agree with this latter part: student A has definitely been the working horse behind these results and made the graphics for the article. However, my contributions were in the first 6 months of the project, laying the foundations for the setup, etc.
I’m not sure how to feel about my advisor’s question. Is my contribution worth less because they are further back in time? And does making article-figures count as “ammunition” to be put first in an article?<issue_comment>username_1: Just tell the convener that you will be unable to present due to unforeseen circumstances. That is enough and will be understood — there can be many reasons and it won't be a first time. He/she will be glad that you inform him/her at all — it happens all to often that people simply don't turn up without giving any information at all. The convener shouldn't need a doctor's note.
That being said, is any co-author travelling to the conference, or perhaps a colleague familiar with your work? If yes, you could ask one of them if they are willing to take over your presentation. I've done this for colleagues and although I wasn't able to answer detailed questions from the audience, it's still beneficial both for me (visibility to experts in the field) and to the first author.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Just inform the organisers as soon as possible, they might want to rearrange the programme accordingly, and therefore might to contact other authors to see if they agree to change their scheduled slot. You don't have to provide proof, as username_1 says, things like that happens quite often.
In addition to username_1's suggestion to see if a colleague could present your talk, you could also check with the organisers if you can present your work remotely (if your illness allows for it). I attended a conference recently where one author presented his slides through a Skype conversation, and another talk was presented as a video, while the author was available in the end for any question. Although it's not ideal, it's still better than not presenting your work at all.
Upvotes: 4 |
2013/11/08 | 895 | 3,953 | <issue_start>username_0: During peer-review, is it part of the job of the reviewer to check the spelling, typos, grammar, and suggest improvement? It will help the paper and seems part of the job, but seeing some manuscripts it could take ages to write down every tiny correction in the review.
So, is it the job of the reviewer to judge quality of the writing?<issue_comment>username_1: The simple answer is no. Unless the review instructions ask for such comments, it is not mandatory. When I do a review, I usually do some corrections if there are not too many of them. If the paper is littered with such errors I might make corrections for one or two manuscript pages and then state to both authors and editors that the papers needs substantial checking and correction beyond my capacity. I also sometimes just leave that comment without making example corrections.
One of the more problematic issues is the difference between native English speakers and this who have English as a second or third language. Clearly authors who are not native speakers, should receive more help than others. There are also services that do language corrections and each publisher typically can suggest such services. If there are native English speakers as co-authors, some responsibility should fall on them to correct the language, after all, they are credited, or perhaps discredited, by the paper as well. So my point is that some leniency has to be considered depending on the severity of the problem but the bottom line is no-one is forced to correct spelling and grammar.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: No, the major goal is to examine the validity, integrity and contribution of the work. Since these can be challenged, causing the work to be rejected or subjected to a major revision, editing at this stage would just be like staining the wood before the carpentry work.
Also, at least for me, my mind runs on two different gears when engaged in editing and reviewing. If I have to edit, I can only edit; if I have to think about the concept, I can't edit... perhaps in my mind editing only happens when the concept is already there.
Having said that, there are three areas I always do a full body pat down, once for concept, once for edit:
1. **Table**: I suggest always comb through the table title, column and row titles, numeric agreement, footnotes, superscripts, etc.
2. **Illustration**: Check labels, title, and footnotes.
3. **Abstract**: Look for typos and point out if a particular sentence appears to be terse or even misleading.
The reason for putting the abstract under all lenses is apparent. The reasons for checking the illustration and table are that these are usually the most neglected places in copy editing and revision. And yet, these are the most viewed sections in a paper. Nine out of 10 errors I've spotted in journal articles are in these two hot spots.
In the main text, if there is any sentence that is very grammatically challenged, I cite the page and line in the review, and comment on the need of a rewritten version.
If there are typos, I collectively write one separate comment requesting a through spell-checking, and give 2-5 occasions in the article as examples.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It is not the job of a reviewer to proofread an article.
However, it is the responsibility of a reviewer to comment on issues that would improve the state of a manuscript. Therefore, one should not completely turn a blind eye to issues of formatting, spelling, and grammar. Moreover, there are some papers where the grammar, spelling, and usage of English is so poor that it actually hinders appropriate evaluation of the manuscript.
Thus, it is appropriate to include some comments on the general level of usage in a review, although one would not want to list tons of typographical errors as part of the review; a comment that corrections are necessary should suffice.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/08 | 995 | 4,385 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm applying to graduate school (CS MS/PhD) this year and I wanted to put up a copy of my papers online so that admission committees would be able to see them. The problem is one of the papers is currently under submission at a conference and notification for the same is only on Jan 22nd. Another one is still in preparation and I will be submitting it soon to a journal/conference. So I was just wondering if it is okay if I put up these papers in my Academia.edu page?
Actually one of my friends' told me that since Academia.edu submissions are searchable on Google, the conference I have submitted to and the journal or conference I would be submitting the other paper will have a problem. Is he right? How else can I provide a way for others to view these papers?<issue_comment>username_1: The simple answer is no. Unless the review instructions ask for such comments, it is not mandatory. When I do a review, I usually do some corrections if there are not too many of them. If the paper is littered with such errors I might make corrections for one or two manuscript pages and then state to both authors and editors that the papers needs substantial checking and correction beyond my capacity. I also sometimes just leave that comment without making example corrections.
One of the more problematic issues is the difference between native English speakers and this who have English as a second or third language. Clearly authors who are not native speakers, should receive more help than others. There are also services that do language corrections and each publisher typically can suggest such services. If there are native English speakers as co-authors, some responsibility should fall on them to correct the language, after all, they are credited, or perhaps discredited, by the paper as well. So my point is that some leniency has to be considered depending on the severity of the problem but the bottom line is no-one is forced to correct spelling and grammar.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: No, the major goal is to examine the validity, integrity and contribution of the work. Since these can be challenged, causing the work to be rejected or subjected to a major revision, editing at this stage would just be like staining the wood before the carpentry work.
Also, at least for me, my mind runs on two different gears when engaged in editing and reviewing. If I have to edit, I can only edit; if I have to think about the concept, I can't edit... perhaps in my mind editing only happens when the concept is already there.
Having said that, there are three areas I always do a full body pat down, once for concept, once for edit:
1. **Table**: I suggest always comb through the table title, column and row titles, numeric agreement, footnotes, superscripts, etc.
2. **Illustration**: Check labels, title, and footnotes.
3. **Abstract**: Look for typos and point out if a particular sentence appears to be terse or even misleading.
The reason for putting the abstract under all lenses is apparent. The reasons for checking the illustration and table are that these are usually the most neglected places in copy editing and revision. And yet, these are the most viewed sections in a paper. Nine out of 10 errors I've spotted in journal articles are in these two hot spots.
In the main text, if there is any sentence that is very grammatically challenged, I cite the page and line in the review, and comment on the need of a rewritten version.
If there are typos, I collectively write one separate comment requesting a through spell-checking, and give 2-5 occasions in the article as examples.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It is not the job of a reviewer to proofread an article.
However, it is the responsibility of a reviewer to comment on issues that would improve the state of a manuscript. Therefore, one should not completely turn a blind eye to issues of formatting, spelling, and grammar. Moreover, there are some papers where the grammar, spelling, and usage of English is so poor that it actually hinders appropriate evaluation of the manuscript.
Thus, it is appropriate to include some comments on the general level of usage in a review, although one would not want to list tons of typographical errors as part of the review; a comment that corrections are necessary should suffice.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/08 | 655 | 2,927 | <issue_start>username_0: What is the difference between special issues and regular ones from the scientific journal publication point of view?<issue_comment>username_1: Different journals may put different meaning into "special issue". It could mean that papers have been invited around a certain theme, it could mean papers come from a workshop or from symposia, or that the journal has decided to gather papers around a specific topic for some reason. The point is that a special issues differ from regular issues in that the papers constitute a collection around a theme or coming from a specific group of authors or event. Such issues can either be a decision by the journal or a request from a group of scientists to publish around "their" proposed theme. There may be additional cases, but these are the ones I am familiar with within my field.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: In my field (theoretical computer science), the best papers at a particular conference often get invited to a special issue of a journal. The editor of the special issue is typically one of the conference chairs, but the papers still go through the regular peer-review process of the journal, and are held to the same standards.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to publishing selected papers in conferences (as mentioned by @username_2), a publisher can announce a special issue journal to concentrate on a particular set of fields which may be a subset of its overall scope.
One main point to note is that special issues have an additional advantage that **they are time-bound**. That is the dates for first review result, acceptance/rejection, and publication, are all scheduled. Although sometimes, the dates may be subjected to change, this is in contrast to regular journals where the time-frame may not always be estimated.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: It can vary. I have seen special issues for (1) conference, (2) theme, (3) some famous professors birthday/retirement.
In general it really doesn't matter in terms of citations, just do a full cite including issue number and the like. Nobody will notice/care about if it was special or normal. It will still get cited, abstracted, held by libraries the same way.
Sometimes the reviewing can be a little easier on special issues (they tend to have a hard time filling the issue). It's also possible that a slightly less notable paper might make it through (more "datapoint science"). Again, it's not a huge impact and shouldn't worry you, but just sharing my impression.
(Partial overlap with previous answers)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Regular issue is what is published monthly or a quarter as per the schedule of the journal publication. Special Issue is for special events like conferences, seminars or some theme. [enter link description here](https://www.eduindex.org/2019/12/difference-between-special-issues-and.html)
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/08 | 1,095 | 4,418 | <issue_start>username_0: I feel a little bit ashamed, but I have never understood the difference between transactions and journals. [This question](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/9518/the-differences-between-ams-research-journals/) is quite related. However, I could not find any clear differentiation.
For example, in my little field (software engineering) *IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering* is considered the top venue. However, there is not an IEEE journal on Software Engineering (or whatever name). To be honest, I have never seen any publisher on software engineering having both transactions and a journal on software engineering. This is also why I fail do differentiate them.
This is what IEEE writes at its [FAQ page](http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/subscriptions/clientservices/info/faq_clientservices.html).
>
> **What is the difference between IEEE Journals, Transactions, Letters, and Magazines?**
>
>
> Journals, Transactions, and Letters are the primary means for
> publishing technical papers concerning original work in IEEE fields of
> interest. [..] The primary purpose of
> Journals, Transactions, and Letters is to disclose and provide a
> permanent archival record of original technical work that advances the
> state of the art or provides novel insights. Papers in Journals,
> Transactions, and Letters should be of lasting value to the
> professional as judged by the authors’ peers through a formal review
> process. [..]
>
>
>
The omitted part is about letters and magazines, so it is not related. Am I really missing it, or they do not really differentiate?
What is the difference?<issue_comment>username_1: **Transactions** used to have a very specific meaning. From the *New Oxford American Dictionary*:
>
> **transactions**
>
> published reports of proceedings at the meetings of a learned society
>
>
>
In this historical usage, it is synonymous to **proceedings**, i.e. it is a published report of a conference or a set of meetings. Many learned societies have *transactions*: [*Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_Transactions_of_the_Royal_Society), [*Transactions of the Faraday Society*](http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/tf), [*Transactions of the AMS*](http://www.ams.org/publications/journals/journalsframework/tran), etc.. Some other institutions use the term “proceedings”, e.g. [*Proceedings of the National Academy of Science*](http://www.pnas.org).
These transactions or proceedings were separate from journals, which do not have to coincide with a conference or meeting. However, with time the customs changed, and **many of these reputable publishing venues became independent from actual meetings or conferences**. **But, because they were reputable (and famous is some cases), the name remained.**
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There is no difference.
-----------------------
In particular, *IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering* is a journal, as are all the other *IEEE Transactions*.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: [From IEEE](http://www.ieee.org/documents/auinfo07.pdf):
>
> IEEE Transactions generally contain major manuscripts
> approximately 8 to 10 printed pages or 24 to 30 double-spaced
> pages.
>
>
> IEEE Journals follow the same length criteria as Transactions,
> but often are focused on selected topics and more
> specialized areas of interest.
>
>
> IEEE Letters are generally short papers of approximately
> three to four printed pages or nine double-spaced pages.
> "
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: For all practical purposes, there is not much of a difference between IEEE journals, transactions, and letters. On the IEEE website, they are all included under the broad category 'Journals and Magazines.' However, they publish different article types. While journals publish articles on more specific topics or specialized areas, transactions publish articles of a broader interest, while letters usually refer to short communications rather than full-fledged research articles.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: As per my general understanding (not by any technical definitions), Transactions are more focused venue whereas Journals are broader in topic coverage.
I decide where to submit my manuscript based on this understanding.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/08 | 478 | 1,995 | <issue_start>username_0: In my dissertation, I am solving a problem by using techniques used to solve another problem. As a result, I have to do two literature surveys for both problems. I ended up with a huge chapter! - most of it is basically a literature survey.
I do not want my examiners to hate me when they find a long thesis, but I don't want to get comments such as: "Why have you not considered the work of X in your survey?"
Is it a good practice to move part of this huge chapter's survey to an Appendix chapter, while keeping a section that speaks about the general approaches followed in the literature?<issue_comment>username_1: For a thesis, you may as well include the full review. You've done the work, and a thesis typically has no particular length limit. Realistically, your examiners will probably just skim it anyway. I see no reason to move it to an appendix, though I also don't think it matters very much. If your advisor or university policies feel strongly, of course, do what they say.
When you publish papers based on your thesis, then you'll want to condense the review to focus on the most important and relevant prior work.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: **Disclaimer:** I am a current graduate student starting to write my own doctoral dissertation.
The advice which I have got from several faculty members with whom I have been working for the last 3-4 years is that there is no *true* length to a literature review.
A literature survey should encapsulate your research problem, identify the current gap in the literature and then, factor in methods using which you attempt to answer your research question.
If that makes it long, its long. My literature review is probably around ~30-40 pages. Given that I work in a rather interdisciplinary area, its inevitable.
I advise you to include all the literature that is relevant.
The appendix is usually reserved for additional figures, tables, links, code, supplementary analysis etc.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/10 | 1,328 | 5,649 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm about to defend my PhD in Computer Science in a couple of months, and I'm struggling with deciding on a future career path. Over the course of the 8 years I spent in an academic environment, I familiarized myself with advances and challenges of formal software development. I also learned a lot about myself. It might sound a bit depressing but right now I don't think that it's my vocation to be a scientist. I feel that there are lots of talented people who will do the research with a lot more passion and way better than me and that a mediocre researcher is of no use for society.
However I think I would love to work with scientists as a software engineer. I came to this point because I like developing software, I have high respect for science and would happily support the research with tools, and implement the research results in software. Being in a research environment I might become more inspired with science someday and will switch to research.
This being said my question is: are software engineers with a research background & PhD in demand in the academic world? Do they allocate funding for such people in universities/research labs? What should I expect from a career of a research software engineer? Would it be considered strange if I applied to a PostDoc position saying that I want to concentrate primarily on software?
I would appreciate any comment or advice. Thank you.<issue_comment>username_1: **tl;dr: Yes, some universities do value software engineers with a research background.**
University College London (UCL), for example, has a [Research Software Development Team](http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/staff/research_services/rsdt) (RSDT), which specialises in providing [software engineering by programmers with a science-research background](http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/research-software-development/).
From the first of those links:
>
> This is a team of professional software developers with particular expertise in designing, constructing and maintaining software for academic research.
>
>
> Our goal is to enhance UCL’s capacity to produce high quality scientific software, from the simplest scripts to complex simulations running on state of the art high performance computers. We do this by collaborating with researchers who are creating their own software
>
>
>
### How is it funded?
The work can be funded in one of several ways. It can be funded through university core funding. The work can be bid for as part of a research funding proposal or consultancy contract. It can be funded as part of a research grant for generic research software development.
### What do they do?
The UCL RSDT team work alongside researchers on scientific projects. They co-author papers with them, transfer best practice & skills into the team, and hand over well-crafted, well-documented software (and its version-control history) for research.
The team do have research backgrounds themselves. They help select / develop the algorithms. When starting a new project, they read some of the background literature to the project - particularly that relating to the algorithms - to get enough grounding to enable them to ask meaningful questions of the researchers who they're working with.
And (touching on a comment by dgraziotin), the team host [Software Carpentry Boot Camps](http://software-carpentry.org/) for research staff and doctoral students. This gives the attendees an introduction to key concepts that they might otherwise not be exposed to, such as unit testing, version control, and working from the command-line.
### Do many universities do this?
At the moment, this isn't an initiative at many universities that I'm aware of. However, given the success of UCL RSDT to date (the team is now expanding again), and the growing awareness of the concept of the Research Software Developer [("a new type of hero"](https://twitter.com/search?q=@jamespjh%20%22a%20new%20type%20of%20hero%22&src=typd&f=realtime), as described by <NAME>, Director of the [Software Sustainability Institute](http://www.software.ac.uk/)), this is probably an idea whose time has come.
### Disclosure
I am a little involved with the research software development effort linked to above.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Short answer: it looks ilke it, yes. I don't know where you are in the world but, when I've looked at academic jobs sites in the UK and USA, there have always been lots of ads looking for people to develop software for research teams – especially in bioinformatics but also in any area of science where computer modelling can be applied profitably. I've not looked closely at these ads but my impression is that, unlike the group discussed by EnergyNumbers, these are mostly fixed-term positions within a specific research group, tied to a specific grant. But the demand does seem to be there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A PhD carries weight in academic environments in a way it doesn't in any other context. Your colleagues will respect someone with a doctorate more, and it will provide opportunities for job opportunities within academia that are closed to people without a PhD. Depending on quirks of college funding, you may even find yourself joining the faculty in capacity (visting assistant professor, research professor, etc.) rather than simply being staff or an adjunct professor. Staff employment is typically grant-dependent, and semester-to-semester contingency the lot of adjuncts.
Software PhD's are probably more in demand *outside* of universities. Check the salary differences an decide accordingly.
Upvotes: -1 |
2013/11/10 | 1,277 | 5,401 | <issue_start>username_0: As an undergraduate (not studying computer science) I was fortunate enough to work in the lab of the CS department chair at my university for an extended period of time. This work resulted in me being added as a coauthor to one of her most recent papers. She also knows me well - I took an intro CS course with her, and during my time in the lab we would be in contact practically every day. I definitely plan on asking her for a recommendation letter when I apply for graduate school in computer science next year.
Although I know that going to the same university for undergraduate and graduate school is sometimes discouraged, I would quite honestly be very happy to return there, as I very much enjoyed working under her, she is well-known in her field, and some of her research interests are very close to mine. In any event, it would be nice to have a "safety net" of sorts while exploring other options.
I know that every university has different policies about admissions decisions, so no one can speak to my particular case. But in general, how much would you say that having the backing of the department chair helps in graduate school admissions?<issue_comment>username_1: **tl;dr: Yes, some universities do value software engineers with a research background.**
University College London (UCL), for example, has a [Research Software Development Team](http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/staff/research_services/rsdt) (RSDT), which specialises in providing [software engineering by programmers with a science-research background](http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/research-software-development/).
From the first of those links:
>
> This is a team of professional software developers with particular expertise in designing, constructing and maintaining software for academic research.
>
>
> Our goal is to enhance UCL’s capacity to produce high quality scientific software, from the simplest scripts to complex simulations running on state of the art high performance computers. We do this by collaborating with researchers who are creating their own software
>
>
>
### How is it funded?
The work can be funded in one of several ways. It can be funded through university core funding. The work can be bid for as part of a research funding proposal or consultancy contract. It can be funded as part of a research grant for generic research software development.
### What do they do?
The UCL RSDT team work alongside researchers on scientific projects. They co-author papers with them, transfer best practice & skills into the team, and hand over well-crafted, well-documented software (and its version-control history) for research.
The team do have research backgrounds themselves. They help select / develop the algorithms. When starting a new project, they read some of the background literature to the project - particularly that relating to the algorithms - to get enough grounding to enable them to ask meaningful questions of the researchers who they're working with.
And (touching on a comment by dgraziotin), the team host [Software Carpentry Boot Camps](http://software-carpentry.org/) for research staff and doctoral students. This gives the attendees an introduction to key concepts that they might otherwise not be exposed to, such as unit testing, version control, and working from the command-line.
### Do many universities do this?
At the moment, this isn't an initiative at many universities that I'm aware of. However, given the success of UCL RSDT to date (the team is now expanding again), and the growing awareness of the concept of the Research Software Developer [("a new type of hero"](https://twitter.com/search?q=@jamespjh%20%22a%20new%20type%20of%20hero%22&src=typd&f=realtime), as described by <NAME>, Director of the [Software Sustainability Institute](http://www.software.ac.uk/)), this is probably an idea whose time has come.
### Disclosure
I am a little involved with the research software development effort linked to above.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Short answer: it looks ilke it, yes. I don't know where you are in the world but, when I've looked at academic jobs sites in the UK and USA, there have always been lots of ads looking for people to develop software for research teams – especially in bioinformatics but also in any area of science where computer modelling can be applied profitably. I've not looked closely at these ads but my impression is that, unlike the group discussed by EnergyNumbers, these are mostly fixed-term positions within a specific research group, tied to a specific grant. But the demand does seem to be there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A PhD carries weight in academic environments in a way it doesn't in any other context. Your colleagues will respect someone with a doctorate more, and it will provide opportunities for job opportunities within academia that are closed to people without a PhD. Depending on quirks of college funding, you may even find yourself joining the faculty in capacity (visting assistant professor, research professor, etc.) rather than simply being staff or an adjunct professor. Staff employment is typically grant-dependent, and semester-to-semester contingency the lot of adjuncts.
Software PhD's are probably more in demand *outside* of universities. Check the salary differences an decide accordingly.
Upvotes: -1 |
2013/11/10 | 566 | 2,404 | <issue_start>username_0: Some time ago, I attended a conference. The organizers later compiled an edited book with the revised presentations of the conference. I was also offered to contribute a chapter. But after the sending the organizers a first draft, I had to turn down the offer as I did not have the time to make the revisions and additions they asked for.
Currently, I am writing an omnibus review about the same topic for a journal and I also would like to discuss the meanwhile published proceedings of the conference. Although I think the edited book has some very good points, I also would have to express severe criticism about some other points especially in the introduction by the organizers.
Therefore, I would like to know:
*How do I disclose the best in the review that I have participated at the conference and was offered a chapter? Should I add a footnote or a paragraph? Wouldn't that even raise distrust?*
To make things more complicated: There is already a well-meaning review of the book by the 2nd supervisor of one of the contributors who has not disclosed his link in any way.<issue_comment>username_1: I would suggest that **you do not need a disclaimer** in this particular case: the bottom line is that **you did not contribute to the book**. If you had participated, it would be a clear-cut case… yours is more complicated, but the fact remains that none of the text of the book was written by you!
Another way to see it: a disclaimer would not raise distrust, but it would certainly add confusion (or at least, not add any clarity). You'd have to explain concisely your situation, stating the facts. You could come up with something like *“The author of this review was asked to participate in the book, but had to decline due to time constraints”*.
Finally, **if you want to be sure to do the right thing: ask the journal editor!** You then make it his call, since it's his journal. He's the best person to ask, really…
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The above answer says it all.
But between the lines there is a more subtle concern. You are worried you will annoy the organisers and that they will get mad and say that f\*\*\*r was right there and drank our free coffee and now he is badmouthing us!
Make very sure that your criticisms cannot construed as a personal attack. Stick to generalities and technical points.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/11 | 772 | 3,091 | <issue_start>username_0: I am applying for a PhD programme in Europe. For that I need to write a cover letter. It will be more like a SOP (technical but shorter version, as it's one page) or it can be more general stuff, as in why I want to do a PhD, what I like about this particular field, what background I have. Any suggestions welcome.<issue_comment>username_1: There's plenty of examples on the Web of the basic format a cover letter should take. There's a good template here on [page 23](http://ocs.fas.harvard.edu/files/ocs/files/gsas-cvs-and-cover-letters.pdf?m=1438033280) from Harvard. (Make sure to do it in TeX if applying for a math or comp. sci. PhD.)
Otherwise, my own personal advice ...
What not to do
==============
The most common mistake I have found in cover letters is that they are too generic. Either they could have been written by anyone ("*I have a keen interest in science. I was always curious as a ...*") or could have been written for any programme ("*I want to do a PhD as I believe I would be well-suited to a career in academia ...*"). Keep such generic sentences to a minimum: the more of these a cover letter has, the more impersonal and unremarkable it is, and the more it leaves the suspicion that the same cover letter has been recycled for multiple applications and/or by multiple students.
Also, avoid hyperbole ("*I am the best candidate for this position because ...*"). You cannot know that you are the best candidate.
What to do
==========
Make your cover letter personal, remarkable (i.e., stands out from other cover letters), specific to you and specific to the position at hand. Be enthusiastic. Be specific. Show that you've put thought into the position and why you are applying.
Relate your specific skill sets and previous experience to the programme you are applying for. Relate the content of specific aspects of your CV to the programme:
"*During my masters, I enjoyed working on the topic of A, which relates to your programme* [in this way]"
"*I worked three summers at company B, where I gained experience in topic C ...*"
"*I visited your university in March last year and was impressed by ...*"
"*I read paper entitled 'D' published by your group at 'E' and was interested in ...*"
"*I recently published a paper 'F', which I believe complements work by 'G' in your department on 'H' ...*"
... and so forth.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: In addition to all the advice above, there are two more Europe-specific issues you might want to keep in mind:
1. Many European universities and funding agencies expect a very specific and advanced research proposal. It might be more important than the cover letter itself.
2. In Europe, you often know beforehand who your supervisor will be, and you will have likely met them. Feel free to ask them (or the admissions office, departmental secretaries etc.) what exactly is expected from each of the application documents - expectations vary between universities, and Europe is a different academic landscape than America.
Good luck with your applications!
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/11 | 1,016 | 3,907 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm currently looking at the requirements of a (Comp. Sci.) job that seems to only take into account "ISI-indexed publications". I'm vaguely aware of what ISI is and so forth, but I'm struggling to find a definitive list of ISI-indexed venues, or what "ISI-indexed publications" means.
Or at least I hope it doesn't mean what I think it does ...
I found the [following list](http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/publist_sciex.pdf) on the Thomson Reuters' page as a journal list for science. However, the list doesn't contain any conferences (even the "big ones" like WWW, (P)VLDB, SIGMOD, etc.) and a few journals I would expect to be on there aren't.
Would I be correct to say that any Comp. Sci. venue not on that list is not "ISI-indexed"?
Is this "ISI-indexed-only" restriction common?
(If so, seems quite antiquated really. Not being able to mention good, highly-cited, highly-selective conference papers sucks.)<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Would I be correct to say that any Comp. Sci. venue not on that list is not "ISI-indexed"?
>
>
>
I suspect the answer is Yes. Click [here](http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jloptions.cgi?PC=master) to search for your journal. Many CS top journals are not indexed by ISI. This says nothing whatsoever about the quality of the work. Limiting publications to only ISI-indexed is really really a bad decision. This may vary between fields, but in CS, I am certain most of the high quality venues of publishing are not ISI-indexed. Note that some scam journals would claim they have impact factor *x.xxx* where actually they are not even listed by ISI.
>
> Is this "ISI-indexed-only" restriction common?
>
>
>
I know some universities (like [King Saud University](http://ksu.edu.sa/en); a list from one guy from KSU is also [here](http://www.emilio.ferrara.name/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Computer-Science-Journals-ISI.pdf) ) where researchers are required to publish in ISI-indexed venues to get promoted (i.e. to associate or full). But these are exception cases and not common.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Right, the IP & Science business of <NAME>ers (the business formerly known as ISI) curates the indexes Web of Science and Current Contents Connect. The journal coverage in those two is almost identical. Thomson Reuters then creates some data products from the Web of Science and Current Contents Connect data, such as the Journal Impact Factors.
Other indexes that are important in computer science include IEEE Xplore and ACM Digital Library. There are also more open indexes such as DBLP and CiteSeerX.
<NAME>ers [mentions "Bradford's Law"](http://wokinfo.com/essays/journal-selection-process/) as a principle it uses to include or exclude journals. The general idea is to include some 12,000 journals that are well woven into the network of scholarly citations, viewed broadly.
I have read more than once that computer science is unusual in the value it places on conference papers. That fact may help to explain limitations in the collection of conferences in the Web of Science collection. I am not certain whether or not the collection strategy for Web of Science specifically takes into account that computer science is unusual in that way.
The Web of Knowledge product that provides access to the Web of Science collection happens to have a more subject-specific collection called Inspec available for subscription. That is a bibliographic collection curated by the Institution of Electronics and Technology that historically was the UK's counterpart to IEEE. Not every institution that subscribes to Web of Knowledge elects to include Inspec in its subscription. Conversely, Web of Knowledge is not the only way to access the Inspec collection - although I believe it is the only way that is cross-referenced with Web of Science.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/11 | 3,094 | 13,197 | <issue_start>username_0: Most of the schools that I've looked at for PhD programs in Computer Science have between a 9-15% acceptance rate. I've noticed similar acceptance rates for other programs outside of computer science; yet almost everyone that I've ever spoken to has only applied to a handful of schools. This just doesn't make sense to me.
Let's just say that each school that I apply to has ~15% acceptance rate, then if I only apply to only 6 schools, I have roughly a 63% chance of getting accepted to at least one (1-probability of getting declined everywhere). That doesn't seem horrible, but if I know I want to do a PhD, I would like to have much higher odds, plus most of the programs are closer to a 10% admissions rate. I understand that applications are costly both monetarily and temporally speaking, but having a 37% chance of not getting into any programs is pretty bad. Whereas if I apply to 14 schools, I have about a 10% chance of not getting accepted anywhere. Can someone please explain the thought process behind this?<issue_comment>username_1: Although, I like your way of analytical thinking, some ouf your assumptions do not hold:
1. Selection procedures of PhD programs are **not random**.
2. The selection procedure of one PhD program is **not independent** from other programs, as it is likely based on similar characteristics and markers in your CVs. (Maybe, there is conditional independence given 3, but that is problematic because the value of 3 is relative to the local distribution of 4.)
3. Your application profile does **not change**.
4. You do **not know** who your competitors are which may also vary between programs (and time).
Therefore, I would assume that people use their applications as measures to test the unknown distribution of the accessibility of PhD programs. Unfortunately, this accessibility changes every term/year because of different populations of applicants. Furthermore, information about the specific demands and requirements of PhD programs is limited because it is time-consuming to look them up and sometimes they are simply hidden. That makes it reasonable to concentrate only on few programs and draw *convenient samples*. If applicants fail, it is easier to adapt, as your application costs were moderate, and to finally accept that there were better competitors and go on with life.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: There are so many factors you are ignoring in your analysis... No offense but I have to say that your understanding of recruitment is lacking a lot of depth. Recruitment strategies and practices vary quite a bit but below I tried to give some ideas to the shortcomings (IMHO) of your analysis.
---
**TL;DR:** Recruitment is a complex procedure that typically has many factors that are asymmetrically known to different parties. Writing applications, personal letters etc is almost an art in itself. Thus it's important to get a better understanding of the system before jumping into conclusions with misleading statistics.
---
### Outcomes
You seem to take the outcome as a binary variable, while for a single application it might be a valid way to see it, for a single *applicant* it might be misleading. Based on the project at hand and the candidates in question, the fact that you didn't make it for that particular application isn't necessarily independent of any future incidents, or rather the other way around; your future applications will most likely not be independent of the previous one(s).
It's quite the contrary, actually. You might have significantly increased, or decreased, your chances for a future position with the same group, or at another group associated with the one you applied to. That's practically based on the competition (to which you are will be in the dark) for the project you applied to, and to the impression you have left on the admission committee or the individual PI/group leader. It's important to keep in mind that *people talk*. In other words, your reputation will most likely proceed you, whether that is positive or negative that's a different story.
### Fairness
One might like to think otherwise, but life isn't always fair and recruitment is typically one of those scenarios. In most respectable universities, all open positions need to be publicly announced, which means that anyone in the world can practically apply to them. Furthermore, there are usually laws and regulations that are put in place to work against discrimination of any kind.
What might get forgotten, however, is that the projects aren't really randomly devised. It is not that uncommon for a position to be announced so specifically that it's essentially tailor-made for a candidate; practical examples of this case could be the continuation of a master thesis work, or any similar project work. Such a position could be *de facto* filled months in advance.
If you are applying to a position at a group with no prior knowledge of the place, you might actually be applying to a position that is already filled. However, many PIs use the public application procedure to "scout talent". In other words, you might not be an interesting target for the project/position you have applied to, but you might still be very interesting for an upcoming project (see previous section "Outcomes").
### Spamming
If you are looking at numbers only, you might be mislead on accessing the *real* number of *feasible* candidates. I might be insensitive, or even offensive to a certain degree, but there are people who do not even read the job description and mass-apply (especially if it's free to apply). I work with bioinformatics, and among the other candidates there were some who apparently: "*... always dreamed of the chance to be a radio engineer, and thus would gladly take the opportunity to ...*" (I have not seen the application myself, as it'd be a conflict of interests. I heard about this much later at a pub gathering with my colleagues and boss)
You would be muddying the statistics if you count with people that would be sorted out almost immediately.
### Hype
Word gets around, quickly... So more and more people want the same thing; "Did you hear {insert\_famous\_professor} group has announced a new position?!" While that is a normal human behavior, it also points out a fundamental defect in the way we reason; *just because something is famous it's not necessarily better than something else that isn't as reknown*. At this point it's also worth noting that a successful senior scientist isn't necessarily *a good teacher of doing science*. The distinction might not be very apparent prior to doing a PhD but a couple of years into academia, you start noticing the difference.
In other words, while most people swarm over a few number of positions, very few apply to many positions elsewhere. Ask any head-hunter (recruitment professionals) and they'll even give you statistics.
### Suitability
Call me a snob if you will, but doing a PhD isn't a god-given right to all humans. It's a job, a career path and thus not suitable for everyone. Please note that I **do not**, in any way, mean that *you* are not suitable to do a PhD (it would not be my place to make a judgement, even if I knew you in person). I am merely stating that if a person is consistently getting a rejection, the chances are highly likely that the person is being unrealistic, or stronly under/over-valuing his/her skills. The negative effect of over-valuing is obvious, I suppose, but modesty or humility to the extreme could also impair one's chances of getting an acceptance.
Hope it helps!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: There are several levels on which one could answer your question:
* One could say that people (even those applying for graduate school in quantitative fields) typically don't approach things logically. Someone will suggest a number of schools to them, and they will apply without doing such a probabilistic analysis.
* The statistics you want to do such an analysis properly are just not accessible. I haven't been able to find any graduate programs in math (my subject) that publish admission stats. (**EDIT**: I was totally wrong about this. It seems that the secret is to look at central rather than department websites. For example, the stats for my department are [here](http://gsas.virginia.edu/sites/gsas.virginia.edu/files/Profile-Mathematics.pdf)) You even if you wanted to carefully analyze things, the data isn't there. I think anecdotally, people have found that 6 or 7 schools with a good range of rankings is good enough. If people were doing this intelligently and still getting in nowhere, I think the CW would change.
* I think the number of people who only apply to places where they have a 15% chance is small; smart students will apply to a couple of the best places (thus giving a few places very low acceptance rates) but also a range of places with lower ranking and easier admission. If you look at [this thread](http://www.mathematicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=685&start=50), for example, you'll see very few people rejected from all the places they applied, even though you'll see many rejected from most of them. In general, grad schools outside the very top tier are pretty hungry for good students; admission to a top 5 program is of course very hard. Getting into a top 50 one might be easier than you think.
* People who only apply to a couple of top places have revealed a preference: they are interested in getting a Ph.D., but only at a top place. This is a reasonable position; I'm not sure what objection you have with it. Just because you can get into some program doesn't make it a good idea.
* This isn't precisely what <NAME> says below, but his comment and post reminded me: people tend to operate on short time horizons. The trouble and expense of more applications is very visible and concrete, and the trade-off of maybe going to a school which is worse on some dimension of prestige/fellowship/fit etc. is very indefinite and far off. Thus, people will tend to focus more on the former and somehow push off the latter to some corner of their mind.
I've gotten the general sense that undergrads don't have a very visceral feel for how going to a higher vs. lower ranked graduate program affects their chances of success in academia. Of the faculty in [my current department](http://www.math.virginia.edu/faculty), almost all the PhDs from the US are accounted for by the Ivies, the University of California system, Chicago and MIT. At Oregon, where I was previously, I once calculated that half of the US PhDs in the department went to Harvard, MIT, Berkeley or Stanford. One can argue how much of that is selection bias, how much is getting a genuinely different education, and how much is just the power of the name, but I think they all play some part.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Others have pointed out that the probabilities are not all independent. Let's say that x is some objective measure of the quality of the program, and let x0 be the quality of a program for which *you personally* (not everyone in general) have a 50% probability of getting in. Then it may be reasonable to imagine that there is some function P, where P(x-x0) is your probability of getting into that school. P has a plateau at 1 on the left, another plateau at 0 on the right, and a fairly steep "knee" in the middle. If we don't know your x0, then the probabilities of admission are not all independent. But once we know your x0, it may not be unreasonable to assume that the probabilities P(x-x0) for all the different schools are independent. If the assumptions of this analysis are correct, then it explains why rational people would apply to a large number of schools. They're basically picking a whole bunch of schools for which they think P(x-x0) is small but non-negligible, i.e., programs that they judge themselves as just maybe having a chance of getting into. For example, I applied to 14 PhD programs in physics, almost all of them top-20 programs in the US. I also applied to a couple of backup schools that I was pretty sure I would get into. I ended up getting into the backup schools plus exactly one of the top-20 schools.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Sometimes the applicant is the former Master's, postdoc, or Undgraduate resarch student of the Professor who has an open position and they can make an offer to do PhD research after going through the bureaucratic motions of posting an opening and (faux?) interviewing some applicants. Unless a more-qualified applicant sues, the former student is likely to get the position. The posting will be pulled down at that point. This is probably illegal in most places, but done right, who's going to know that it was wired for a former student or postdoc? It's possible someone in the lab will know the "new" person from prior work with them and rat them out to HR. Usually, wired positions work by having the targeted person apply as usual, go through the competitive process, and turn out to be the selectee, for research positions, at least. I have no insight to seeing profs hired this way.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/11 | 900 | 3,953 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to keep up to date with public literature in my research field. All relevant publications are of too big a volume to follow and so the problem invites some automatic mechanism of filtering and notification.
Do you know of any good mechanism (desktop\online application etc.) that could be configured to alert on new publications according to specific criteria?
Three criteria that I would think would be very useful in such a mechanism are :
* Follow by ***researcher name*** - I would like to know of any new publication Prof. X was involved with.
* Configurable ***citation*** filter - I would like to know of any new publication which cites any of Prof. X papers or a specific one.
* And\Or\Not ***keywords*** - I would like to know of any new publication that has both keywords A and (B or C).
Do you know of such existing app? Any recommendation to such (or similar) applied functionality would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: If you are in life sciences, I suggest two methods.
1. PubMed updates: PubMed is the database that contains the abstracts of all life sciences publications. If you register (free), you can have query updates sent to your mail regularly. The way this works is that you run a database query once (these queries can be quite advanced), and then all new results to this query are compiled and sent to you. *This is a good method if you want to keep up with every publication in a relatively field*.
2. F1000: The Faculty of 1000 is a group of ~5000 scientists that regularly read papers and rank papers of special interest along with a short explanation. If you register (not free unless your institute has this service), you can also receive weekly updates according to specified sub-fields of interest. *This is a good method for keeping up with interesting publications in a wide field* (where the PubMed search would just give too many results).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [Google Scholar alerts](http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar_alerts?view_op=list_alerts&hl=en) are certainly one (slightly crude) solution. But there are other databases out there that allow much better controlled searching and which do email alerts. My university gives me access to a university-branded version of [EBSCO Discovery](http://www.ebscohost.com/discovery), but others do exist - some generalist and some especially suited to particular fields.
Assuming that you are affiliated with a university or similar, I recommend asking your university library what they recommend.
Alternatively, sites such as [ScienceDirect](http://www.sciencedirect.com/) allow you to set up similar alerts, but they only apply to journals that are published on those sites (so with the example of ScienceDirect, you would only be told about articles in Elsevier journals). Depending on the publications that are relevant to you it might be possible to set up similar alerts on a few different publishers' sites to get good coverage.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Your institution (for example its Harman Science Library) and many others have the database product [Web of Knowledge](http://newisiknowledge.com/). Precisely the alert criteria that you described, and more, are available through that product.
The selection of journals covered in its flagship collection, Web of Science, is curated with the goal to cover all of, and more than, the core literature of all scholarly fields, naturally without attempting to cover all journals in existence. Alerts in Web of Knowledge can also simultaneously search up to a dozen other collections including Medline, depending on your institution's subscription. You can see the collections in the subscription that is available to you by choosing the "Select a Database" tab. You can browse and search [the journal lists for the various collections](http://ip-science.thomsonreuters.com/mjl/).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/11 | 1,581 | 5,588 | <issue_start>username_0: I am working on a honours thesis and have developed a Fortran library that I would like to cite in it.
In some places they suggest to quote the documentation of the project but this is something I plan to do in the future and isn't done yet. The only documentation I have right now is the README file and the code itself.
**What would be an acceptable way of directing a reader to my work on Github?**
(bonus) **Is there a BibTeX way to do it?**<issue_comment>username_1: The underlying question seems to be how to get citable software.
There is a traditional method for doing this.
You write a methodology paper describing the software, how it was built, what it does. You can provide the source code as supplementary information.
And then you cite **that** paper, in future papers where you apply the software.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: What I've seen most often is a footnote with the URL you want to provide, in this case the URL of your GitHub repository. This will point people even better because it will be in the same page, and sure it will not count for bibliographic statistics and your h-index, but it wasn't going to count anyway, at least not yet.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I would go with:
>
> P.W.D. Charles, Project Title, (2013), GitHub repository, <https://github.com/charlespwd/project-title>
>
>
>
Or a bit different, depending on your citation style. Just is is crucial to include: author, title (if style includes it), year and link.
Of course if you do have a publication related to this piece of code (even if only by fact it is your first publication basing on this code), don't forget to cite is as well! (In the current academic system it is all that counts.)
And respective BibTeX entry:
```
@misc{Charles2013,
author = {<NAME>.},
title = {Project Title},
year = {2013},
publisher = {GitHub},
journal = {GitHub repository},
howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/charlespwd/project-title}},
commit = {4f57d6a0e4c030202a07a60bc1bb1ed1544bf679}
}
```
Beware, this above are improvisations (especially the BibTeX entry), not standards.
Even for more established and citable things there are not set standards, see e.g.:
* [How to cite a sequence from The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS)? - MathOverflow](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/131245/how-to-cite-a-sequence-from-the-on-line-encyclopedia-of-integer-sequences-oeis)
See also:
* [How to cite sourcecode from an svn repository - TeX.SE](https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/90019/how-to-cite-sourcecode-from-an-svn-repository)
* [How to cite software in LaTeX - SuperUser.SE](https://superuser.com/questions/8743/how-to-cite-software-in-latex)
EDIT:
See also [how to assign DOI to a particular commit in your repository](https://github.com/blog/1840-improving-github-for-science).
Upvotes: 7 <issue_comment>username_4: *I was asked to provide my comment as an answer, so here it is. It is yet another way to cite software. However, it requires some effort from the software authors.*
I developed an Open Source Web tool for modeling and gathering data when following a certain theory/methodology in software engineering. Here is how you would cite it:
>
> Graziotin, D and Abrahamsson, P 2013. A Web-based modeling tool for the SEMAT Essence theory of software engineering. Journal of Open Research Software 1(1):e4, DOI: <http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/jors.ad>
>
>
>
This is possible because I opted to publish a *software paper* in the [Journal of Open Research Software](http://openresearchsoftware.metajnl.com). It is a fully Open Access journal. This journal only accepts software papers on **open source software for research**.
A software paper is a special kind of paper, which describes the software-e.g., what is it about, implementation and architecture, its availability, and its reuse potential. The editorial process works as in any other research venue, and articles are peer-reviewed.
The article processing charges are 25GBP. However, they can be fully waived if you cannot afford them.
What it is nice with this approach is that researchers have an extra motivation to open their software for research: they get a publication for that, plus citations. Additionally, writing a software paper is far easier than writing a *methodology* paper.
I wrote a [review of the journal on my blog](https://ineed.coffee/1929/review-journal-of-open-research-software/). TL;DR; Great experience, go for it.
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_5: Now they become somehow citable by providing DOI references. That was on their 14th of May news:
<https://github.com/blog/1840-improving-github-for-science>
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_6: Figshare provides a way to import a GitHub release and assigns a doi to it. I haven't tried this yet but it seems to be a good middle path between a software paper and citing just the repository.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: GitHub now offers citation as a service, at least with Zenodo. This guide instructs how to connect your accounts and get a DOI with your work:
<https://guides.github.com/activities/citable-code/>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: GitHub has now added built-in citation support (<https://twitter.com/natfriedman/status/1420122675813441540>). Simply add a `CITATION.cff` file (
<https://citation-file-format.github.io/>) to your repo and a citation widget will be added to the sidebar:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1mdxg.png)
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/11 | 760 | 3,331 | <issue_start>username_0: I have to write a paper as an assignment for one of the courses that I take in University.
The main outcome of this lecture is having a good final paper in the end. As we are Masters students, the paper that I am going to write resembles more a survey paper in a given topic, rather than a research paper presented by the authors of a specific research.
I have my topic assigned already. I have done my literature search and organized all the papers that I want to use. Unfortunately, at this point I am not that deep into the topic. But, everything I read seems to me like relevant for the topic, and somehow useful.
I have had difficulties with a similar situation before. As I was trying to include as much as possible relevant material to the survey paper, to make is complete. But in the end I was blamed that the paper loses its coherence.
Now I am stuck. In fact I am reluctant, because reading multiple papers, multiple times, writing them and then getting bad remarks does not feel nice.
What criteria should I use to filter my papers all over again, and what approach should I use when writing a survey paper.<issue_comment>username_1: The answer may differ from field to field.
First of all ask yourself "What is the central question" or the goal of you paper?
Do you want to give an overview on all aspects of the theory / concept? Or is it more about the central aspect of the theory / concept and extensions / applications are not that interesting? Or something else?
Then think about the story you want to tell. If its about the theory itself you might want to talk about the development of the theory, **central** aspects, proofs, and maybe some applications or extensions at the end.
If you want to give a general overview, try to create groups, are there some main movements, aspects, fields of application? Where are the links between these things?
Then select your paper according to this "central story".
While writing think about the audience of you paper, which concepts are common knowledge? Which are important to explain? Which depth of information is appropriate?
And, of course, try to get more feedback: Read the feedback of your old paper, then read your paper and try to find the flaws. Ask the person who graded you to give you some advice. Read some paper of your fellow students which got good marks, find out what you like about them.
in short:
```
1. Identify the central question of your paper
2. Create a structure / central story
3. Think about the audience
4. Fill the structure, create links between your sections.
```
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: To add to Frederick's excellent answer, after you have settled on your central question/goal/thesis AND have created at least a rough draft of your paper, use the 'So what?' method. For every section, idea, and paragraph, ask yourself "So what?". Why does this need to be here? What purpose does this serve? would the narrative still flow without this piece? Don't automatically throw it out if you cannot answer the questions immediately, but use this as a way to assess what you have written, find the weak spots, and begin to understand how to improve them. This also helps weed out irrelevant material, so that you can avoid a bloated, incoherent paper.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/11 | 633 | 2,777 | <issue_start>username_0: As a graduate student, i've had to substitute teach a number of times for a variety of classes. I'm wondering if it is really worth while to add this information into my CV. Obviously, it won't hold as much weight as teaching a full class. But if it is worth mentioning on the CV, what category should I add it to? Teaching? Volunteer Service? Something else?<issue_comment>username_1: Definitely. Teaching experience is always worth adding to the cv because it reflects that you have gained experience in presentation techniques beyond the usual scientific presentations. The difference to research presentations lies in that the latter involves explaining matters and making material understandable at a more basic level. On its own, such experiences may not be enough so document your teaching experience such as levels of the courses, number of students and amount of teaching. you should also gather evaluations of your efforts. I could add links on teaching portfolios here but a simple search on "teaching portfolio" will give you quite a lot of examples and your own university might also have links worth loking at.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I am going to disagree with username_1 here.
If you mean you stepped in to cover a couple of classes here and there when the regular instructor was sick or out of town, I would say this by itself doesn't constitute a meaningful amount of teaching experience for professional purposes, and shouldn't be listed on a CV. It may have been valuable to you, but I think it would look kind of silly on a CV.
If you were assigned as a teaching assistant for the course, you probably have a line where you describe your responsibilities in that role (grading exams, holding office hours, etc), and you could add "occasional lectures" to that line.
If you filled in for an instructor for a longer period of time, then you could consider listing it ("taught 3 weeks of Calculus 4").
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I agree with <NAME>. It's worth mentioning in your CV unless you already have quite a bit teaching experience. You should put it under "Teaching".
You're a graduate student. Anything meaningful should be listed in the CV. Many years later, you'll find the substitute teaching looks funny when you're a professor. For now, list it unless you already have more than 2 pages long CV.
Here is my personal experience. I put my number of years teaching experience in my resume while in industry. A lot people were interested in that. It's was one of the most frequently asked questions in my industry job interviews I had. One time, I did ask the hiring manager why he was interested to know. He said it shows that I do know how to communicate.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/12 | 1,328 | 5,566 | <issue_start>username_0: I peer-reviewed a manuscript and am about to send my conclusions to the editor. It occurs to me, though, that because there are many details to be checked/changed in various places of the paper (mathematical notations, in particular), it will take quite some time for me to type it into a proper review (probably using TeX, because it is math-heavy).
So, I am wondering: since my hand-writing is decent and people don't usually find it too hard to decipher, could I simply scan my annotated copy of the paper, along with one page of notes, to the editor? Or will that be unacceptable to them?
I think it raises a few questions, going from practicalities:
* will it be as useful as a thoroughly written-down review?
* does it give more work to the editor?
* should I also include a summary of my comments, in computerized form?
to ethical questions:
* does handwritten notes breach rules of anonymity?
I suppose people used to do that in older times, but it have never received a hand-written review so far, so it is (at least in my field) unusual.
---
So: should I do it? if I do it, what precautions should I take?<issue_comment>username_1: I do not think that there is anything wrong with a scanned handwritten report. As for anonymity: you may even sign your referee report as it is your decision to stay anonymous or not. As for usefulness: I once received an annotated scanned manuscript as a referee report at is was tremendously helpful (as there were several suggestions for formulations which greatly increased the readability). A computerized summary would also be helpful for the editor to form the decision and also for the authors to find out what you main points are (so that they can distinguish between just typo corrections and serious remarks).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If your copy of the paper is in pdf format, then you can attach typed notes to it fairly easily. A program called Skim does that, and I think modern pdf viewers also have that capability. (It would be good for me if more people used that option, so that authors who get a referee report of that sort can't easily infer that I'm the referee. My own handwriting has become so lousy that handwritten notes are no longer an option.)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I have received hand-marked manuscript review previously, and it did not raise an issue to neither the editor nor myself and my co-authors. However there is a point you should consider:
Is it really a substantial and reliable paper if it needs such an extensive correction even in mathematical parts? I have been rejected on the basis of too many typos or too poor grammar, which I don't think should necessarily be a deciding factor. I will only reject people based on bad grammar only if it significantly hurts the understanding of the paper's material.
*Extensively erroneous mathematics sounds something like a substantial problem with the quality of the research and not only the quality of presentation.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: A hand written scanned review is acceptable, if readable. But, the time spent on typing it into LaTeX (or any other suitable format) to produce a pdf is strongly advised. The reason is that even the most neat hand-writing, can include letters, symbols, writing details, that can be ambiguous to others (particular of other nationalities). So although, such reviews are acceptable, providing it in digital format reduces the risk of misreading and misinterpretation. In addition, a scanned hand-written review may be conceived as the result of someone not caring too much (however wrong that conclusion may be). So in the interest of clarity, I would suggest spending the time typing the review in.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: If your handwriting is clear and you make a lot of small corrections, I would personally prefer to get your notes in the paper itself, scanned. The reason is that it's much easier to understand what's going on, and much easier to see where the mistakes have appeared. I would say that adding a separate report that contains long remarks (on structural things, mistakes in math proofs etc.) is a good idea and should be done, since long text is hard to squeeze into the page margins1.
Just a remark to finish: please, use a red pen and make a color scan.
I don't agree with people saying that doing a lot of corrections is necessarily wrong (well, it's another question). Many reviewers do a poor job, and many reviewers are too sensitive. But it's very likely that a good paper needs a lot of corrections.
---
1 Ask Fermat, he knows something about this.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: One point that no-one has mentioned yet: after receiving your review, the authors will (probably) take your comments into account, make changes, and then **write a letter explaining the changes** which they submit along with the revised version.
In their letter explaining changes, it is common (at least in my field) to answer reviewer's comments point-by-point and to include verbatim the reviewer's questions, e.g.
>
> * Reviewer 1, Comment 2: "Jones et al. (2001) needed more froobiz to reach the wiznish point. Why do you find a different value?"
> + In this study we used an improved floopnosh technique which inherently requires less froobiz; see also the review by Smith (2004).
>
>
>
So, if the authors decide to go this route and you submit a hand-written review, they will have to TeX-ify your review document, possibly making errors in the process.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/12 | 680 | 2,962 | <issue_start>username_0: Today this question came to my mind.
Currently I am a Master student enrolled in University. All my previous studies I have passed thinking that I am a fan of Telecommunication/Computer Networks and related topics.
However, recently due to the overload on these topics I feel like I have lost my interest in them. Honestly, I have not lost my interest, but I have come to a point where I feel disgusted. These topics are too technically oriented. There is not much to do with the human factor (in terms of interaction). I am aware that all the studies related to computer science, electrical engineering etc. are closer to the machines rather than the humans.
In daily bases the communication with machines is more often than with humans.
I was contemplating the possibility of switching from such an area, and work my thesis on Human Machine Interaction, where the human factor is considered a little bit more.
What is your opinion on this issue. Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related?
What about the academia?<issue_comment>username_1: Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related?
In my opinion, No. Companies usually want their employee to have specific knowledge before hiring them. (so if your thesis is close to what they work, you may be very interesting to them).
(still if your thesis is not related to what the company does), then you may be interesting to them company. Why? A master thesis gives the company an indication about your skills, including marketing skills, creativity, and theoretical skills. These skills may be useful for the company. (this is just my opinion)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> Does the topic that you work on as a master thesis affect your future job if you apply to a position that is not that much related?
>
>
>
By applying to a position you are not that familiar with, you will compete against people who know more about the job than you do, starting with a disadvantage. However, as username_1 said, companies are sometimes looking for potential rather than technical skills and showing *other skills* during a job interview can prove really useful.
>
> What about the academia?
>
>
>
To answer this question, I will assume that you mean "looking for a PhD position". I think it will be even more difficult to find a PhD position if you change field (please correct me if I am wrong). Indeed the ultimate goal of a PhD program is to make the student an expert in his domain and the commitee might prefer choosing someone with little experience than no experience at all in the topic.
Finally, there are plenty of applied research fields related to Human-Computer Interactions so before you switch topic I advise you to check some of them in-depth.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2013/11/12 | 525 | 2,042 | <issue_start>username_0: What's a quick and useful reference, either in print or online, for writing numbers and reporting measurements in scientific texts? Something I could distribute to all new students, which would cover things they should be taught but do not always know, like:
* how to write big/small numbers in scientific form (1.78 10–12), including proper spacing?
* how to write units of measurement, in text and in abbreviated form? includes: when do you capitalize units, when do you pluralize them, etc.
* how to properly report significant figures, etc.
* when do you write variables in italics/roman/bold/underline?<issue_comment>username_1: I guess [these recommendations](http://publish.aps.org/author-information) by the American Physical Society might be just what you are looking for. In particular, Style and Notation Guide for Physical Review/Physical Review Letters deals with scientific numbers, units, figures/tables, and use of roman/italic fonts. (For some strange reasons, it requires a secured connection to see the file; in case you couldn't see it, there is an excerpt [here](http://www.student.nada.kth.se/~f99-mle/Public/Blandat/howToWriteMath.pdf)).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The [American Chemical Society](http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/bk-2006-STYG.ch011) offers an online version of its *ACS Style Guide*. While this used to be available only in print, it is now apparently being distributed free of charge—or at least is available at any university with a subscription to ACS Journals. However, since it's intended to be a resource for anyone planning to submit to an ACS journal, I suspect it's generally available. The link above will take you to the specific chapter on math and units of measure.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The SI unit brochure ([BIPM](http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/)) is actually quite clear and well-written, and backs up many of its points with logical/physical justification. I would say the style guides (should) build on this.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/12 | 863 | 3,549 | <issue_start>username_0: Can't believe I've got to the end of my PhD before asking this one! I want to cite a work whose copyright date is 1996 but whose first paperback edition (the one I'm referencing) is 1999. Which date is correct?<issue_comment>username_1: I have actually asked a librarian about this issue as it came up for me in the past.
She told me to cite the exact copy that I am reading. If what you are reading is the first paperback edition (usually the inside left initial pages will have information about this), then do cite that.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The purpose of giving details in the citation (rather than just saying "according to <NAME>") is to allow other people to find the cited work. Year of publication is something that could plausibly help somebody find the work; copyright date is not, so cite the year of publication.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You should give the bibliographic information that the book gives you. Nothing more, nothing less. You should definitely cite the year that the publication itself puts as the year of publication (usually after a copyright symbol). Here I clearly disagree with the other answers given here. Here are a few reasons for this advice.
One, this will be the year that most, if not all, library databases will put down as the year of publication. You will confuse a lot of people if you put `1999` in your reference list when there is no `1999` entry for that book in the library catalogs.
Two, it is commonplace that the "year of publication" is different from the year it actually appeared. Sometimes journal articles from 2004 will often not appear until 2005, other times journals and publishers will deliberately back-date the publication by one year. I have books where the publication year is `n`, but everybody knows it actually appeared in `n+1`. It's not your job to be a bibliography detective and tell people when it really appeared. Your references should just say what the publication says.
Three, the reasons most paperback issues don't change the original year of publication is that the paperback copy is identical to the original hardbound copy. They are usually just photographic reprints. In many cases they won't even inform you when the reprint occurred - it'll just say something like "3rd reprint" or "3rd print". Again, you shouldn't be a detective and try to figure out when that reprint appeared, since it is of no relevance to the readers if the reprint is identical to the original.
So this is what you should do:
If the reprint/paperback issue gives the original year of publication, but also tells you something about it being a reprint, then add the information about the reprint as a note, e.g. `<NAME>. 1996. A book about nothing. Oxford University Press. 3rd reprint, 1999.`
If you really care (like I do), get the original. I know most people don't bother, but I always do :)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: APA 7th ed. says use both dates. 1996/1999. Do this for works (same edition) that have been reprinted, republished, reissued, or translated. Check your style manual.
As you know, the purpose of the reference is to (1) credit the originator of the idea, and (2) provide enough information that readers can locate the source information. One of the reasons for including the date of the reprint you have is that if you reference page numbers in your work, they could be different in the paperback edition you have than in the original hardback printing.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/13 | 1,066 | 4,683 | <issue_start>username_0: When teaching a course on a topic that might be controversial, what are the responsibilities of instructors to facilitate an open learning environment? If the instructor has a strongly held opinion, is it appropriate for the instructor to structure the course and the readings around this opinion? Does the instructor have a responsibility to structure the course in a way that is agnostic about the topic? When selecting the readings and the lecture schedule, does the instructor have a responsibility to give equal time to opposing viewpoints, if those opposing viewpoints plausibly have equal intellectual merit?
I'm familiar with the notion of [academic freedom](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/9549/705) for instructors, where instructors should be protected from external influence (from outside the academy: e.g., from politicians) in their ability to shape their courses and express their findings and opinions. Is there a corresponding responsibility to protect the academic freedom of *students*, by structuring courses so that they do not make students feel uncomfortable expressing views that disagree with the instructor's?
Are there any guiding principles or resources for how these issues should be navigated? What are the social norms within academia? Are there any lines that, if crossed, might lead to disapproval from a significant fraction of fellow academics? I'm mostly familiar with engineering/science/mathematics courses where this sort of issue rarely comes up, so this is new to me.<issue_comment>username_1: Although I cannot say how the principles of, or basis for, university education are formulated everywhere, one guiding principle in the system I work is that courses/teaching should be founded on science. In the term science lies objectivity, that is to show both pros and cons for a specific idea. this does not preclude one from having personal opinions we all have. One example:
In my university a scientist, known for controversy, decided to run a course on divining rods under the pretext they were serious and work. Now, one can have an opinion about this but when trying to look for a scientific background, the best one can say is *absence of evidence is not evidence of absence*. The university clamped down very hard on this because it broke the founding principles of university education due to a lack of critical discussion.
So, a person's opinion should not taint the material so as to skew the picture based on unscientific principles. If one runs a course that uses sound scientific principles to criticize a view point, the exercise to evaluate the criticism may be sound in itself. The issue therefore lies in openness about any "one-sidedness" of the course. The role of a university teacher/teacher, is after all to provide objective critical view of materials.
One way to look at this is to compare with research. If we try to push a view uncritically, our peers are likely to suggest rejection of that article. To not approach teaching with the same serious rigour is, I would argue, unprofessional. The problem maybe lies in that there is no peer review of course materials.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If the students are being assessed by you, some (most?) will start to tell you what you want to hear in order to get the highest grade. This is rarely what we as educators want in our students. We want to build within them critical thinking skills.
Controversial issues are common in some fields. For example, one of the subjects I teach is Business Ethics and I have clear beliefs and values in this area. Is it OK for me to focus on the arguments in favor of my view and discount competing arguments? No, it is not.
Can I tell my students my opinion? Opinions differ on this but I believe it is OK, as long as it is done very carefully with LOTS of evidence that my opinion is wrong. Again, students must be taught to think for themselves, including how to critically evaluate what they consider right and wrong. If I just make my points then it is not education, it is indoctrination and that is not what higher ed is about.
As far as social norms, I would say that if you are trying to get your students to 'believe' anything, then you are doing it wrong. If you are trying to get them to think critically, then you are doing it right. If the students feel they must agree with what you say, you are doing something wrong. If they feel like they are getting balanced information and a class ends up with many different opinions, then you are doing something right. If everyone is thinking the same, then nobody is thinking...and that's not good for anyone.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/13 | 434 | 1,701 | <issue_start>username_0: Assuming I got a PhD in Computer Science from Oxford or Cambridge University, how would that affect my chances at becoming a professor at a top US university versus getting a PhD from a top US institution? Assuming also that I had US citizenship?<issue_comment>username_1: I am an American who earned a Ph.D. at Cambridge University. A degree from Cambridge or Oxford is well-respected in the US - I was warned to avoid other UK universities as they are not as well known in the States. The one caveat is that all of your network for post-docs and jobs will be in the UK, not in the US. It was an amazing experience though so I would not want to discourage you!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: My guess is that it the effect on academic employment would be relatively small compared to other factors, as pedigree is typically neither necessary nor sufficient for obtaining employment. Arguably, department reputation will matter more, but what you do while you are there will matter far more than that.
It might be helpful to your decision to note that *several* UK universities are very well respected in the US and elsewhere: Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield, to name a few. Are Oxford and Cambridge the only UK institutions with respected CS departments?
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: In mathematics, I would say that British Ph.D.s are very well respected in the U.S.A. Probably more so than many US universities. The US citizenship is a plus, because it means that the university can avoid the hassle of H1 visas and Green Cards. But a major research university will probably not reject you if you don't have US Citizenship.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/13 | 743 | 3,182 | <issue_start>username_0: I am currently taking a year off to reapply for PhDs. My ultimate aim is to work in academia. I am currently teaching secondary school biology as a way of filling this year. My government presents the opportunity of obtaining a teaching certificate by taking weekend classes in addition to the teaching. I was wondering whether a secondary school teaching certificate would be in any way valuable in obtaining a lecturing position after completing my PhD. I know that there are specific university teaching certificates which might mean that a secondary school teaching certificate is useless?<issue_comment>username_1: In the big picture, having a secondary school teaching certificate probably won't make a difference in the hiring process for lecturer positions at the university level. Your teaching experience is what will count (to some extent--really, teaching at the collegiate level will be more important), and you will have that to put on your CV. I highlighted my high school teaching experience (and degree, certificate, etc.) on my CV when I applied to teaching positions, and in the interviews I had it was clear that it helped me land the interviews.
That said, if the certificate is something that will give you a fall-back plan if the PhD doesn't work out (i.e., you can transition directly back into the secondary teaching more easily), it might not be a bad idea to get it.
Either way, having the certificate won't hurt you when applying for future collegiate teaching jobs, and if you have the time now it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and knock it out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Being someone who has a teaching certificate and have just completed my PhD, I can provide some insight to this. A caveat though, my experience is localised (Australia) and subject based, so not all may be relevant.
My PhD is in Atmospheric Physics, and I am a high school teacher of Maths and Physics, I have been applying to get into lecturing for a little while with no luck, even for STEM and Education lecturing positions. Having said that, I have only bee searching for a few months.
A colleague was in a similar situation for about 2 years (PhD, high school teaching and applying for academia) and he succeeded, but starting off with short term lecturing contracts (a term here, a term there, then a semester), now he is pretty much part of the furniture in the university faculty.
Talking with my academic supervisor (=advisor) where I asked whether the teaching degree and experience were useless, he suggests that the qualifications and experience are indeed valued, but an academic should build a published research profile and most of all, be patient.
Another thing to note - every degree is not useless, they all contribute to your skills and knowledge in some way at the very least.
As username_1 said, having the teaching qualification can not hurt you, as not only is it a back up - teaching provides bountiful transferrable skills that can be applied in academia, as mentioned in the answer [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10319/progressing-from-high-school-teaching-into-academia).
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/13 | 654 | 2,687 | <issue_start>username_0: How do I find abbreviation of the journal name [*Engineering*](http://www.scirp.org/journal/eng/)?<issue_comment>username_1: In the big picture, having a secondary school teaching certificate probably won't make a difference in the hiring process for lecturer positions at the university level. Your teaching experience is what will count (to some extent--really, teaching at the collegiate level will be more important), and you will have that to put on your CV. I highlighted my high school teaching experience (and degree, certificate, etc.) on my CV when I applied to teaching positions, and in the interviews I had it was clear that it helped me land the interviews.
That said, if the certificate is something that will give you a fall-back plan if the PhD doesn't work out (i.e., you can transition directly back into the secondary teaching more easily), it might not be a bad idea to get it.
Either way, having the certificate won't hurt you when applying for future collegiate teaching jobs, and if you have the time now it might not be a bad idea to go ahead and knock it out.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Being someone who has a teaching certificate and have just completed my PhD, I can provide some insight to this. A caveat though, my experience is localised (Australia) and subject based, so not all may be relevant.
My PhD is in Atmospheric Physics, and I am a high school teacher of Maths and Physics, I have been applying to get into lecturing for a little while with no luck, even for STEM and Education lecturing positions. Having said that, I have only bee searching for a few months.
A colleague was in a similar situation for about 2 years (PhD, high school teaching and applying for academia) and he succeeded, but starting off with short term lecturing contracts (a term here, a term there, then a semester), now he is pretty much part of the furniture in the university faculty.
Talking with my academic supervisor (=advisor) where I asked whether the teaching degree and experience were useless, he suggests that the qualifications and experience are indeed valued, but an academic should build a published research profile and most of all, be patient.
Another thing to note - every degree is not useless, they all contribute to your skills and knowledge in some way at the very least.
As username_1 said, having the teaching qualification can not hurt you, as not only is it a back up - teaching provides bountiful transferrable skills that can be applied in academia, as mentioned in the answer [here](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/10319/progressing-from-high-school-teaching-into-academia).
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/14 | 2,153 | 8,806 | <issue_start>username_0: **Some people, in their CV or publication list, add bibliometric information to each entry.** I've typically seen:
* mention the impact factor of each journal
* number of citations of each paper
* mention the acceptance rate of each conference
I'm not sure it is very helpful: people from your field will surely know the journals/conferences, while people from outside your field might be more interested in a “macro” view and not go into the minute details of your publications.
Moreover, I'm not sure I like the tone it conveys: it feels like bragging (this is typically done by people who are proud of these indicators), and a bit over-the-top to me. Finally, it's well accepted by now that things like the journal impact factor are a poor measure of individual papers' merits.
So: **is it accepted practice to do it? does it improve the CV? or does it risk alienating the reader?**<issue_comment>username_1: I would say that this is field specific. I work in a very interdisciplinary area and I have seen, for instance, in the field of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction), it is *quite common* to list acceptance rates for the major conferences (CHI, CSCW, UIST, MobileHCI etc.). HCI is very conference dominated in terms of major publications.
However, in the field of privacy (which I also consider myself affiliated to), journals matter. Everyone knows the best journals in the area (CACM, IEEE Privacy and Security etc.) so *almost* nobody lists impact factors or numbers of citations. Therefore, in response to your specific questions.
1. In some fields it can be an accepted practice, in others, not so much.
2. It might improve the CV in terms of informing folks looking at your CV who are not in your discipline (perhaps other members in a search committee). But, I don't think it really *improves* your CV per se.
3. I think that there is a very ***low*** risk of actually alienating the reader. The reader is *usually* bound to be a scientist or academic and I don't think that the vast majority of them would get annoyed to see such numbers (especially if they are in disciplines where this is an accepted practice)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: A professor (chemistry) I had once told us in the lunch break about a CV where the applicant (for a position in the medical faculty) had listed impact factors and summed them up. He was not only alienated but outright upset.
However, that was years ago and things may have changed. But I still think it weird and in my field have not seen it (chemistry/spectroscopy/chemometrics).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: There is no law for this so apart from any instructions for the application, it is up to you.
The *impact factor* (IF) will tell the evaluation committee if you publish in good journals (they probably know this anyway since they would be familiar with the field. If you have published in good journals then you should definitely do so. But, a lower IF does not mean the paper is not good but shows that your science can pass the competition to get accepted in higher ranked journals.
The *citation index* is of course nice to show if you think it is to your advantage. It is impossible to say what numbers are and which are not. Partly because the turn-over time between disciplines vary and partly because it will depend on for long you have written papers. There is a period of varying before your work becomes cited, usually at least a year. I had a paper that now has a very high index but had just a few until five years after publication. So what is a good number for you depends on factors that only you and peers in your discipline can evaluate.
So, if you think these numbers are to your advantage you should definitely add them. Considering you are at the beginning of your career no-one would necessarily expect high citation index and so the IF may be of more interest.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: My approach for this is simple - I add **all information that I think will help my case**.
You have a high citation index for a researcher of your academic age? *Mention it explicitly in your CV.*
You have published in high-impact journals? *Add the IFs to your publication entries.*
You have a particular paper that won a best paper award or is very highly-cited? *Highlight the paper in your publication list and name the award / citation count.*
Note that this is not "boasting". You are simply making the job of the reviewer (correctly assess your merits) easier by highlighting the information that is likely important to them (awards, important publications, etc.) instead of letting them search for themselves for the high-value needles through the haystack that is your publication list.
**Edit:**
>
> One of the papers raised a pretty large number of citations (several hundreds) despite being published in a low IF, so I wonder how to carry this information...
>
>
>
Add both informations. If your paper was high-impact, it should not matter too much that the journal *in general* is low-impact.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: You should not put journal impact factors in your CV. Here's why:
* By doing so, you imply that the IF is a useful indicator of the value of individual article(s) you have published in a journal. However, [**the IF is not a useful indicator** in this regard, and was never intended to be](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2126010/pdf/9056804.pdf).
* You also give the impression that **your research does not stand on its own merits** -- that it is worthwhile only because it was stamped by a high IF journal. If your research really is important, use the grant application to explain why.
* As other comments have stated, **anyone in the field already knows the good journals** -- and they're often not the ones with the highest impact factors. [IF is poorly correlated with expert opinion](http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.0278).
* You may still disagree, so I will appeal to your self-interest. Including the IF will leave a poor impression with evaluators who understand the limitations of the IF. They may even be signers of the [Declaration on Research Assessment](http://am.ascb.org/dora/) (DORA), which states among other things:
>
> ...the Journal Impact Factor has a number of well-documented deficiencies as a tool for research assessment. These limitations include: A) citation distributions within journals are highly skewed [1–3]; B) the properties of the Journal Impact Factor are field-specific: it is a composite of multiple, highly diverse article types, including primary research papers and reviews [1, 4]; C) Journal Impact Factors can be manipulated (or "gamed") by editorial policy [5]; and D) data used to calculate the Journal Impact Factors are neither transparent nor openly available to the public [4, 6, 7].
>
>
> General Recommendation: Do not use journal-based metrics, such as Journal Impact Factors, as a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist's contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions.
>
>
>
In short, by trying to use the IF to establish value of your research, you're only broadcasting your ignorance, as even [Wikipedia can tell you](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor#Validity_as_a_measure_of_importance):
>
> It is important to note that impact factor is a journal metric and should not be used to assess individual researchers or institutions.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_6: Despite my comment giving a reason not to include impact factors in your CV, my answer here is:
>
> Include **select** impact factors **when it matters**
>
>
>
When does it matter (in my opinion)?
* When you can expect that one of the readers may not be aware of the importance of your journals because they are from a different field than you. Highlight the particularly good ones.
* When you have published papers in different fields. You are a engineer working on microwaves, but you helped a medical doctor that you know with statistics in his research work which made you a (legit) coauthor on one of his papers, in a journal that you have never heard about before, but which carries about 15 times the impact of your regular engineering journals? I would include *that* impact factor alongside a description of that collaboration.
* You have very recently published an important paper, and you expect to be cited a lot because this is a hot topic. However, the paper is so new that you only have 1-2 citations. I would mention *that* impact factor.
I could think of more examples, but I guess you get the idea. Don't overdo it, don't base your whole application on it - certainly don't sum impact factors. But do it where it helps you make a point.
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/14 | 272 | 1,115 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a figure in my paper. If there is much to say about the figure, I will have a brief title and a descriptive caption for it.
What about the figure about which I have not much too say? Do I replicate what I have written in the title in the caption?
Since caption is also used for reference, it must exist. Can I then remove the figure title and use the caption only?<issue_comment>username_1: What is your paper for? I think figures (for example in journal articles or thesis) usuaully have a caption below them, in addition to their number:
>
> **Figure 1.** Cumulative food intake in rats during intragastric treatment
>
>
>
But typically there is no "title", unless you have a "list of figures" somewhere in the beginning of the document: then it is ok to use the same phrase as caption and title, because they are not written at the same place.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My preferred format is
No title in the figure
in the caption
small title. very extended caption describing the figure and a small summary of the results addressed by the figure
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/14 | 5,600 | 24,471 | <issue_start>username_0: I (an undergrad) and 2 other profs from my department have been working on something and we were thinking of submitting our work to a conference (a pretty well known one) this week. The fact is there is no related work that has been done on the problem we are solving and therefore there is no paper which we can cite as a starting point for our work. The only existing things that we make use of are trivial definitions from mathematics (like Riemann Integral) and also definitions that are pretty well known in my area (CS). So again, we do not think there is a need to cite any particular papers for that.
Now my question as stated was - is it acceptable to have a paper with no references? Or do you think we should just mention some papers (we never had to use them) where those definitions were actually proposed?
PS: I'm sure some of you might suggest me to ask those profs. But quite frankly none of them have much experience as far as publishing papers is concerned. So it would be great if some one could give me a good advice and help me out.
**Edit:** Thanks everyone for the answers. Of course somewhere a little sarcastic and ridiculing, but I can understand since this is a little weird. Actually yes, I had the notion that a paper wasn't worth citing unless I use some results from it (say an algo or some theorem). But I guess that isn't the only reason why I should be referencing as many seem to suggest here. The fact is we had seen quite a few survey papers before we started this out and I was under the impression that there wasn't a need to cite them since anyone could find them. But now, things are bit more clear and I guess I should cite them and I will :)<issue_comment>username_1: In principle there is nothing wrong with that. But, I have a hard time seeing that there is nothing published whatsoever on anything that forms the basis of what your research concerns. The problem must have some origin and there is probably literature that forms the basis for your work by for example indicating that your problem is a gap in knowledge. So even if it would theoretically be possible to publish a paper with no references, it seems so unlikely that the problem should be sought elsewhere, such as indicated by the comments.
The result of submitting such a paper would probably lead to rejection, even if your work in itself is sound.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Though I don't think there's any hard rule against having a paper with no reference, it seems pretty weird. Note that references are not only for citing other people's results (theorems, algorithms, etc.) which you have used, but more broadly to recognize other's scientific contribution. For example:
* Has the problem never been discussed before? Who first realized it was a problem, stated it, formalized it?
* You probably put the problem into the broader context of your field. And if you don't, you probably should. This sure requires citations on recent work on related problems, even if nothing was ever done on the one problem you're addressing.
* For example, is your problem a specific case of another problem, or does it have generalization?
* What are the consequences of your results/findings? They probably have some impact on other related problems, or practical consequences on real-life issues.
* Didn't you or your co-authors ever do any prior work on this issue?
---
Finally, let's see it another way: you have solved a problem, that no one else has solved, worked on, or more generally discussed. And you did so using only elementary techniques, which have been known for so long that they do not require citation. Stated like that, **it may sound like either you're a genius opening an entire field of mathematics, or you're working on a useless problem that nobody cares about. You probably don't want the reviewer to be thinking that way!**
Upvotes: 8 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: No, it's not acceptable to have a paper with no references. One of the first things a referee looks for is whether the paper shows proper awareness of the current state of the art in the field and references previous, recent work properly.
What is actually somewhat more commonly encountered (although not in any decent journal) than a paper with no references is a paper in which none of the references are appropriate. For example, anti-relativity kooks will self-publish papers in which all the references are to papers from the 1920's, textbooks, their own work, and the work of fellow kooks.
In fact, one of the quickest ways of detecting that a paper is a kook paper and not worth spending much time reading is if it has these characteristics. The fact that the professors you're working with are unable to place your work in the context of current work in the field suggests very strongly that they are not competent, and this is reinforced by your description of them as being unfamiliar with publishing. You probably want to stop working with them in order to avoid embarrassment.
Becoming associated with someone who's a kook or publishes incompetent work could be the kiss of death to any future academic career you might have been hoping for.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_4: I've actually been working on a project which is similar in that nobody seems to have done any work that is directly comparable in the area of application. The work uses standard Bayesian techniques (this is an applied statistics paper), but these techniques are not at all used in the area in question in the way I've done it.
However, I still had a bunch of references. If you are using people's data they like you to cite it. I had a couple of cites for the Bayesian techniques which I'm using - they aren't trivial. The broader area has been much worked on, but much more by biologists than statisticians, and their approaches are very different, though their aims are similar. So, I cited a couple of these papers, out of very very many possibilities. They weren't particularly relevant to the paper at hand, but I couldn't think of anything better. (I actually thought of posting here, but wasn't sure what specific suggestions a non-specialist could give, and I'd already tried asking specialists with no useful result.)
Additionally, I used some quasi-mathematical derivations which I also had a cite for. So, generally these things do pile up.
So, I suggest backing up a step, considering the more general problem which you are trying to solve, and perhaps give some references to papers that have worked on that more general problem. Then you could say these papers are examples of the more general/related problem.
Other people have, I think, adequately addressed the issue that not being able to find relevant papers to cite means there might be a problem with the project. I.e. it is something nobody has worked on because nobody cares about the problem. This isn't necessarily the case, but I agree that you should look into that as a possible issue.
Doing novel work isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was offered a chapter in a book for a paper just published, not because the work was particularly good, but because, as the editor put it, "not much work has been done in that area". And apparently he thought the area was worth representing in the book.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_5: I have always imagined that the reason for citing references in a paper is not to give credit, but to keep all research grounded in other research. Something like, if someone cannot understand the result in your paper, or what motivated it, then either the result is wrong, or that person did not understand the result of one of the references, or what motivated it.
If you are working on a specific problem, for example, you should reference other papers which also work on the problem. If you are using a specific tool, you want to reference some other papers that have used that tool, and certainly the result for which the tool was developed.
It's about giving your research context, and by extension, giving other peoples research context, which is why results are published in the first place, instead of kept secret.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_6: Your work needs to be self-contained. That means your idea needs to be built, first and foremost, on a solid foundation. You reference other people's work to establish that foundation. With one sentence (and reference) you can establish all the knowledge that your work AND paper is based on; including the language you use.
For example; pick any recent paper in your field. Now examine its references, and pick the oldest paper there; continue doing that and you'll eventually get to papers written in Latin that establish the very basic ideas of things you might take for granted as being fact.
When you reference a recent paper (which in turn references other papers), you are including that full body of knowledge of hundreds of years of work.
So I would say the answer is No, unless you're willing to dedicate thousands of pages to reinvent and reestablish everything your work is based upon.
Any notion that your work and ideas are unconnected or non-derived from any previous research endeavor is delusion.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_7: I'm referee for various IEEE and other Journals, generally speaking citations give me the idea of the behavior of the article, it is really not acceptable for me few citations (7-10 at least for conference); despite, my view could be rought, other referees may finalize the same conclusion.
I suggest to add at least 7 citations (at least on the introduction and conclusion) in order to deceive superficial people like me.
You can refer to book, manual and technical worksheet.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_8: I know of **exactly one** published paper in my field with no references whatsoever.
* <NAME> and <NAME>. [The complexity of cutting paper.](http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=323233.323274) *Proc. [1st] Symposium on Computational Geometry*, 316–321, 1985.
The "References" section reads, in its entirety:
>
> No references on this topic seem to exist and no useful results could be found.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 6 <issue_comment>username_9: Although my context is mathematics rather than computer science, this seems like an absolute no-brainer: "No". A paper without citations is a crank paper. Basically immediately and irretrievably rejected.
First, ultra-practically, referees will not easily believe either that your work occurs in a vacuum, or that there was no "prior art".
Second, if you think there was no prior art, I'd bet against long odds that you are mistaken. The referee may know the specifics ... and then you look awfully bad.
Third, unless you can explain why anyone should care about what you've done, that is, give references to give context, why should anyone care?
Citations are by far not just about what one thinks one's work "depends on", ... and even that should not be appraised naively.
I am shocked that "professors" would contemplate letting a paper out the door with no citations at all, ...
(And it would benefit *you* to refine your perceptions of their "publication rate" and/or "research activity". I realize it is hard for a beginner to appraise these things, but your description seemed very strange, as evidenced by some of the comments...)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_10: There are no general formal rules for this but some conferences may have such constraints and most reviewers will probably sort out papers with few citations anyway. As it is regarded as good academic writing style to cite from primary sources, it might be a good idea to cite from the original papers of the definitions you use [i.e. (Riemann, 1868)].
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_11: No, it isn't acceptable, and is probably a sign that you should back up a bit and make sure your result really is completely unrelated to other results. If you think that you have something totally unrelated, which you obtained from elementary-ish mathematics, it probably:
* Is considered trivial or irrelevant by others in the field. For example, I could very well write a paper on the derivation of the drag of a [Batman Curve](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/BatmanCurve.html)-shaped object. This uses basic principles and doesn't need to call upon advanced prior results. But it's not too useful, and is probably not considered a worthy topic for research. This, of course, was an exaggerated example, but you may be in a less pronounced situation. Make sure that your paper is something that constitutes publishable work.
* Has already been published before, just with different terminology. Usually, the simpler things get snapped up first; if you feel this is the case then you should dig deeper; and possibly show your results to other researchers in the field asking if they know of similar results.
* The third possibility is that you have truly made a breakthrough or opened up a new avenue of research or done something radically new. Such results are very rare, especially when they build from basic concepts only.
---
Either way, one way to beef up the references is via the introduction. I've noticed that a some physics papers have a lot of references in the introduction, and they skimp on references in the rest of the paper because the mathematics may be straightforward or otherwise not worth referencing.
If your paper is publishable research, there probably is some motivation behind it. And some ideas you may have built upon (If not, you can always find similar ideas to "pretend" to build upon). Write an introduction detailing the motivation, and cite papers there. Look at the introductions of other papers in your field to get a better idea of how to write one and what sort of references are at home there.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_12: No.
You say that your work is entirely new. How do you know this? Have you read any survey papers? If you have, cite them. If you haven't, go read some.
Has there been any other work on related problems? Cite it. Explain why their problem is different from yours.
Why should I care about your work? Has anyone expressed a need for someone to do what you're doing? Cite them.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_13: Let me add my two cents in there: the main point of the references is to **give context** to your work (as suggested by multiple answers already). It's also about **justifying the validity of techniques you used** and **justifying the evaluation process** you used for your results.
There's several "different" references you usually want to include in your paper (and while I do admit that sometimes you don't have many in some of the "reference groups", I think it's impossible to have none at all):
* **general references about your (sub)field**
This would be used in the introduction, to set a broader context for the paper, especially if you're submitting to a general conference in your field instead of a small subfield-focused conference.
As an example, I work in *Mathematical Morphology*, which is often used to perform *image segmentation, object detection* and *image filtering*, and belongs to the field of *computer vision* and/or *image processing*. So, when I submit to an CV or IP conference, I have to put it in the context because **not all the referees/attendees** will be experts in Mathematical Morphology and some general references will be useful here.
* **general references about your problem**
This is actually very similar to the previous, and would be put in the introduction as well. It stems from the same reasoning: not everybody will know that *what you are attempting to solve is even a problem*.
Again a personal example: in my field of Mathematical Morphology, there are hierarchical structures used to hold information about an image *in a tree structure*. I recently published a paper about *reducing the size of those trees*. Why should anybody care? Unless I **give good motivation**, nobody will. I had to give references to various *applications* of the tree structures I was working on (including a tiny bit of motivation for using them at all in the first place), and then give references and elaborate *why the size is an important factor* and *what applications will benefit from my proposed technique*.
Oh, and the "core" of the paper was using something I used in advanced high-school programming papers: DFS. I still had to give context as to why my specific application was interesting.
* **references about the structures/techniques you used** (even if they're simple or not common for your field)
I guess this would go somewhere between Introduction and Related work. But, it's important to justify the validity of what you're using, and you're not going to prove it from scratch in your paper. Maybe it's also interesting to \_ elaborate on the connections and similarities\_ between the *standard usage of the technique* and *common usage*.
I'll give two examples here: There was a recent paper in my field presenting powerful but simple techniques based on Kruskal's minimum spanning tree algorithm. Of course Kruskal was cited (even if most computer scientists learn about that in their high-school mathematics / undergrad algorithms courses). Also, there was an older paper in Computer Vision about image-by-image search applying techniques from text processing. It was explained in quite some detail how parallels can be drawn while processing an image as a text document, e.g. what is the equivalent of "words" in an image.
* **specific references about your problem and possible previous solutions**
Who attempted to solve it before? Maybe somebody attempted to solve a partial problem? A similar problem? The same problem in a different context? Who was the first one to pose it as a problem? This would go to Related work.
Even if your contribution is not directly based on any of those, you have to **put your solution in to context**. If there's a previous partial solution that's justification that your contribution is important. If there's a similar problem solved, comparing similarities and differences might help somebody to one day make a generalized solution. Maybe somebody got results that are as good (as fast, as complex, as precise...) as yours using different techniques? Good, compare pros and cons!
* **references about the testing framework/techniques you used**
How did you evaluate your approach? How will you justify your evaluation to the reviewers? Why are the statistics you presented actually relevant to evaluate the validity/impact of your contribution? Discussion/Results section.
For a lot of things you can produce a lot of useless statistics. You have to justify your choice of how to present your results. Is the testing framework widely used? Cite it! Is it new or an upgrade on an existing framework? Cite pros and cons related to the "standard testing approach" and argue why your approach is better suited to represent the pros of your contribution.
* **references about the data you used**
Similarly for the testing framework. Why this particular dataset? When did it first appear? What makes it suited for your problem? Where was it used before, and how does that justify your choice?
* **references supporting your claims about the importance of your contribution**
In addition to giving motivation, you should once more emphasize **the impact** your paper will make, and **the potential applications** of your contribution.
This is definitely different from "what you based your paper on". It's almost the opposite: you're listing papers/authors that might benefit from your work and base their future, extended work on your paper.
See, it's not just about citing the mathematical/algorithmic bases of your work. It's about proving that you did your proper background research, giving motivation for your problem, explaining the benefits, and convincing everybody that your work is *unique*, *awesome* and *useful*. And, sorry to say, if your supervisors couldn't tell you most of this, you should think about changing them (especially if you have an interest in academia).
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_14: I published a paper regarding a new technique for printing iron microparticles. In my research I found a long list of printing methods, but ultimately the technique I invented was unique in the field (that's according to the reviewers). Yet the references I used, although they were not directly related to what I was exactly doing, helped me devise the final idea. I think that probably you can put some references, just to give some context on something that might be related somehow, rather than risk yourself to appear as an amateur. In today's world, where there are papers and inventions in the millions, there should be something related to your idea. Or maybe you are like Einstein who published with no references, but even he was exploring and ultimately refining Newtonian physics. So strictly speaking he should have cited Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_15: It's not a problem, you can submit your work with no references if nothing related to your work is done before. You and your team may get a **Nobel Prize** for the work you guys are trying to do, so keep it up and do great things.
References are used when we are going to extend the work which has already been done or we want to do something related to that. In your case if you have no references, then you can go for that Conference.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_16: Feynman's *Forces in Molecules* has no reference and was published on Phys. Rev.
<http://www.cce.ufes.br/jair/mq2grad/PhysRev.56.340_Feynman_Forces_in_Molecules.pdf>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_17: I agree with the general consensus here: find relevant work and cite it. You can cite textbooks or reviews for well-known things. You can also cite vaguely related problems or just the most exciting problem in the field. (This takes some experience, which you lack, but try your best.)
However note, that 'conference paper' means different things to different people in different fields. A regular paper (article or letter in scientific journal) never goes without References, never. However, depending on the field, some conferences call for abstracts or summaries. Those are much shorter (between 1 paragraph and 2 pages) and *can* include some references, but not as many as in the full paper due to space constraints. You can probably submit a 1-page abstract without References if the topic is interesting and clear.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_18: I would say even if Newton was going to write a research article related to "law of universal gravitation" would have found related work. Related work gives a broader view of research topic e.g, if newton was going to write article related to "law of universal gravitation" might have given a reference to Aristotle who believed that there is no effect or motion without a cause.
Now science and technology is so advanced you must find related work. Or might be you are genius invented new field in science and technology.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_19: ### References help make your work discoverable
Apart from the many intrinsic reasons that have already been mentioned, there is one selfish reason why it's good to cite all the relevant previous works in the field, and it's that citing those works will make it easier for people who read them and want to find the latest research on the topic. In the same way that you should chase up all the papers that cite the reviews you mention, to make sure that the problem is in fact still open, citing those reviews ensures that your paper will appear in the Citing Articles section of those reviews.
Even better, in many fields it is common for researchers to have citation alerts on such papers, in which case they will receive a specific notification of your paper. Depending on the system, this will often include the authors of those works, so this becomes a non-intrusive way to 'push' your paper to people who might find it interesting.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_20: Here is a paper with no references:
<NAME>. (1950). "The Significance of Deviations From Expectation in a Poisson Series". Biometrics. 6: 17–24. <https://doi.org/10.2307/3001420>
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/14 | 944 | 3,854 | <issue_start>username_0: My advisor's wife is having her first baby and he told us about it at our last lab meeting. We understand that this will mean he might need extra time/patience as the big day approaches, but are we supposed to be doing anything else? What is the etiquette for this as one of his students? Should we be buying him some kind of baby gift?<issue_comment>username_1: A personal gift from you, as an individual student, is not expected, at least by European or North-American etiquette. It may be nice to pool with other students and group members to offer a *small* gift (either something for the baby, or something for the father). It'd be more customary to offer it after the baby is born, rather than now.
On the other hand, there is no strong expectation that you offer a gift. I.e., if you decide not to for any reason, he won't think it weird.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is the same answer I gave about [weddings](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/5699/929) but it holds for births also.
You must do something. Building social relationships with your work collegagues is really important. If other students are organizing the collection and suggesting an amount, I would give that much. If they are organizing the collection, but not suggesting an amount, I would chip in two beers worth of cash. In some cultures two beers will be on the generous side, while in other cultures it will be on the cheap side. It won't be out of place in any culture. If no one is organizing the collection and you want to take charge, then I would suggest asking people to chip in one beer worth of money (all students should be able to afford this). If no one is organizing a collection and you don't want to take charge, go out and buy a card and get the other students to sign it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I completely agree with @username_1's assessment: no gift is necessary really. Having said that, if there's something you can do that's simple and doesn't strain your budget, then as a courtesy (from a colleague to another) that might be welcome.
Having been in this situation myself (from the advisor's side) I can say that one thing parents of a new child lack that grad students might have more of is **time**. If it's possible, lab folk could offer to help running meetings without the advisor, do guest lectures in classes if it's appropriate, and so on. Again I emphasize that it's not necessary at all, but it's a gift that would not cost you money, and would be greatly appreciated by someone who probably isn't sleeping very much :)
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_4: Buy a *book* for the baby. That is an appropriate *academic* gift, and it doesn't threaten professional boundaries.
Of all the gifts we received after giving birth or adopting, the one that meant the most to me was from a children's librarian. She gave us a card congratulating us on our adoption, along with a book, *Pat the Bunny*, that came with its own small stuffed animal that went along with the bunny in the book.
Any activity book for the really early stages of reading a book to a baby would be good. For example a book that has holes in the pages, for the parent to stick fingers through the holes to simulate one or another animal, is good. Or one of those books that has texture materials glued in. If you go to a bookstore you can ask the clerk for the section with books for babies.
I personally found that the books with the finger holes, or the texture materials glued in, made more of a hit than the vinyl books that were safe for slobbering or bathing. A book with sensory and theatrical capacities is the best first book, I think.
It's true that a book can't be used right away, but that means that your gift will be remembered longer than the pacifier or the rattle.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/14 | 706 | 2,565 | <issue_start>username_0: In the main text of scientific papers, one should use and and avoid using &.
I wonder if it still holds true in section titles.
Is
>
> Apple and Pear
>
>
>
or
>
> Apple & Pear
>
>
>
more appropriate as a title?<issue_comment>username_1: Many journals specifically state what they expect, or often it can be ascertained by looking at their previous issues.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In general, the modern usage of the ampersand ("&") is restricted to collective proper nouns. While it was much more common to see people use the ampersand during the 18th and early 19th centuries, this has fallen out of fashion.
In formal writing, the use of the ampersand has largely disappeared except for collective nouns in a title, and in situations like table and graph legends, where normal rules of written English do not necessarily apply. For instance, "Crate & Barrel" or "McKinsey & Co." In standard running text, you would not use an ampersand in place of a traditional "and": for instance, you would write
>
> Mozart visited Vienna and Prague.
>
>
>
not
>
> Mozart visited Vienna & Prague.
>
>
>
However, in the legend of a graph, you could write either "(1 M NaCl & 1 M KOH)" or "(1 M NaCl and 1 M KOH)"; in many instances, the former might actually be preferable, because it's more compact.
This is also supported by many writing style manuals. For instance, the only mention the [*ACS Style Guide*](http://pubs.acs.org/isbn/9780841239999) makes of ampersands is with respect to web addresses (where one would in any case not replace "&" with "and").
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In addition to other good points made... On one hand, obviously it doesn't matter toooooo much, being understandable either way. A relatively superficial criterion is some mandatory style, which is presumably dictated externally: just do it. If there were any "real" criterion, it would be about scan-ability: is it more scan-able with Amper's "and", or with "and"? I tend to think that, given that everyone these days has more practice reading "prose" without symbolic abbreviations (somewhat in contrast to earlier times...!?!), a plain text "and" is "easier", if only due to habit "in these times". But/and the latter is what I consider, actually.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Following on Volodya's answer, you probably don't need to worry about this too much if you're planning to submit to a peer-reviewed journal - they'll just change it to their preference during the proof stage.
Upvotes: 1 |
2013/11/15 | 981 | 4,320 | <issue_start>username_0: I am an undergraduate and I do not know much about the rules of writing an email.
The email system used by our university is not convenient at all: it responds slowly, often crashes, and its common to miss important emails.
I need to email profs in our school and other universities. Is it necessary for me to use the email account of the school? Can I use my personal gmail account? Is it informal or impolite?<issue_comment>username_1: In the cases I'm familiar with (U.S. universities), using your own e-mail account should be completely fine, subject to some obvious caveats. One is that it's best to have an e-mail address that doesn't look foolish or offensive. People sometimes choose very strange usernames, and you don't want that to reflect poorly on you; furthermore, you should make sure your e-mails include the name your professor knows you under. Another issue is that if you are asking for sensitive information such as grades, your professor will likely be unwilling to send this information to an outside account without some verification that it belongs to you. Finally, you should make things simple for anyone you correspond with. For example, if you use several accounts, you should check them frequently or forward one to the other, so that there are no delays if someone sends something to an account you didn't expect.
One common solution is to set up your university account to forward to your private account, and to set up that account so you can send e-mail listing your university account as the sender/return address when necessary.
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Use of University's Email Address or Personal Email varies on content being communicated in the email.
* If you are communicating about your assignments or discussing something in the capacity of being a student, e.g., discussing topic or classes schedule, **you should prefer your University's Email address to communicate.**
* If you are inquiring something general, e.g., Admissions information, fee structure, etc., you can use your Email. However **it would be better to use your University's Email.**
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: This depends entirely on the rules of your university, the preferences of the respective professor, and your own long-term convenience:
* The possible conflicts with rules of the university have been explained by the other answers already.
* The respective professor (or whoever you are mailing to) may have specific preferences, as well. As an example, I have met professors who generally announced to delete any e-mail that does not come from a university account, and who explained they'd consider students who e-mailed him from a third-party-account, especially by a free provider, personally responsible if their [the professors'] addresses became known to address dealers to be sold to spammers or phishers. If you intend to have some oral exam with such a professor, it would seem like a good idea to respect that preference for university addresses.
* As for your own long-term convenience, that depends on how far you want to separate "work" (studying) and your private life. If you are ok with professors keeping your (private) e-mail address indefinitely, then there's no problem; if you want to keep the option open to "discontact" some professors when you leave the university, on the other hand, you can conveniently do that by only using your university address toward them. (Similarly as to work settings, where you might only hand out your permanent, private address to a few select colleagues when you quit a job.)
Lastly, I wonder what you mean by stating that the university e-mail system is not convenient to use. Is it just the web-interface? Do they not offer a POP3/SMTP or an IMAP interface that you could connect to with any e-mail client of your choice?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: In the UK, universities are very strict about information they will release -- for example we would not tell someone which courses a student was on.
This means that any email that comes from a non-university account must be treated carefully -- if by replying I appear to acknowledge the sender's name, and that they are taking my course, I have just illegally leaked confidential information.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/15 | 711 | 2,908 | <issue_start>username_0: I have just received feedback about my PhD (in my University, we do not do an oral defense, our dissertations are peer reviewed) - and I have received great and useful feedback and criticisms which will be a breeze to respond to.
Also included in the feedback are some very kind and positive comments about me as a scientific researcher. This leads me to my question, would it be appropriate to use the positive comments from the examiners when applying to academic positions? This of course, while preserving the anonymity of the examiners themselves.
Something along the lines of "Examiners to my PhD dissertation recognized my ability to *perform task*, stating *positive comment*".<issue_comment>username_1: Hum, I do understand the impulse, but I don't think a CV is the right place for that. You don't want it to look like the back cover of a crime novel :)
In my country (France), PhD thesis undergo both a peer-review and a formal defense. Thus, you usually come out of it with two written reviews of your thesis, and one written review of your defense. **It would be quite uncommon to quote these in a CV**, but in many applications it is fine (and sometimes *mandatory*) to actually **attach them to the application, as supporting material**.
So, unless it is common to do so in your system, I wouldn't recommend quoting praise for yourself in a CV (a CV is a list of facts, mainly, not opinions), but you can try to include it in the application if it is allowed. Either raw, or you could **quote it in the application letter, statement of intent, summary of your work, whatever**:
>
> The research topic of my PhD was to study the influence of UV irradiation on bacterial growth rate in the lab's fridge. I quantified the extent to which it was detrimental to the life of these poor innocent bacteria. I also made the case for a new classification splitting part of the UV range currently known as “UV-C” radiation into a new “UV-D” category, based on its distinct harmful effects on fungal growth.
>
>
> This work was well received by the community, with a total of 4 published papers and 3 conference talks during my PhD. The thesis peer-review committee called it *“a brave and well-inspired revolution of the old dusty classification of UV radiation”* and characterized the end product of the thesis as *“a clean lab fridge: the greatest service you can render mankind or, at least, labkind*”.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't know if I would include these in your own application materials, but I would certainly try to have this examiner write a letter of recommendation for you (many jobs will allow extra, optional letters if this one is an "extra"). It's going to sound stronger coming directly from a respected third party than if you provide the quote yourself, even if the actual material is the same.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/15 | 648 | 2,631 | <issue_start>username_0: I am applying for graduate studies in the US and in my statement of purpose I mention the name of a book and it's author, as the book is very relevant to my previous research work and the author is working in the university I am applying too.
Is this okay, or should I not mention the book's name?
If it is okay should I quote the book's title or should I do any special formatting regarding this reference?<issue_comment>username_1: Hum, I do understand the impulse, but I don't think a CV is the right place for that. You don't want it to look like the back cover of a crime novel :)
In my country (France), PhD thesis undergo both a peer-review and a formal defense. Thus, you usually come out of it with two written reviews of your thesis, and one written review of your defense. **It would be quite uncommon to quote these in a CV**, but in many applications it is fine (and sometimes *mandatory*) to actually **attach them to the application, as supporting material**.
So, unless it is common to do so in your system, I wouldn't recommend quoting praise for yourself in a CV (a CV is a list of facts, mainly, not opinions), but you can try to include it in the application if it is allowed. Either raw, or you could **quote it in the application letter, statement of intent, summary of your work, whatever**:
>
> The research topic of my PhD was to study the influence of UV irradiation on bacterial growth rate in the lab's fridge. I quantified the extent to which it was detrimental to the life of these poor innocent bacteria. I also made the case for a new classification splitting part of the UV range currently known as “UV-C” radiation into a new “UV-D” category, based on its distinct harmful effects on fungal growth.
>
>
> This work was well received by the community, with a total of 4 published papers and 3 conference talks during my PhD. The thesis peer-review committee called it *“a brave and well-inspired revolution of the old dusty classification of UV radiation”* and characterized the end product of the thesis as *“a clean lab fridge: the greatest service you can render mankind or, at least, labkind*”.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't know if I would include these in your own application materials, but I would certainly try to have this examiner write a letter of recommendation for you (many jobs will allow extra, optional letters if this one is an "extra"). It's going to sound stronger coming directly from a respected third party than if you provide the quote yourself, even if the actual material is the same.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/15 | 554 | 2,338 | <issue_start>username_0: Can I mention an adjunct professor as my proposed supervisor for graduate studies, or adjunct professors are not allowed to be supervisor?
Are there anythings that I should be aware of before mentioning his/her name in my application?<issue_comment>username_1: The easiest way to resolve this question is to e-mail the person and ask whether they anticipate taking new graduate students in the near future. This is worth asking even for non-adjunct faculty (since they may have all the students they can handle already, they may be retiring soon or moving to another university or an administrative position, etc.), so nobody will be surprised or take offense at the question.
As for what sort of answer to expect, it depends on what sort of adjunct professor it is. Sometimes researchers from other institutions (government or industrial research labs, museums, etc.) hold adjunct positions at universities. They may or may not be allowed to supervise graduate students, depending on the terms of their appointment, but it's common to allow this; often it's part of the point of the position. On the other hand, there's another sort of position sometimes called adjunct faculty, namely low-paid temporary workers hired to teach introductory courses, and these jobs are not likely to involve graduate supervision. You should be able to tell pretty easily which case applies to any particular person by looking on the web, and in any case e-mailing them (as described above) will give a definitive answer.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you just want to know “in principle”, look at your university's policies… This is something they decide. For example, the [University of Manitoba](http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies/admin/adjunct_information.html) says:
>
> a) The Adjunct Professor may be thesis/practicum supervisor or co-supervisor of, or serve on the thesis/practicum committee for, graduate students registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In the event that the appointment of an Adjunct Professor expires before the graduate students have completed their programs, the Head of the department/unit shall be responsible for recommending reappointment or naming a replacement.
>
>
>
Whether it's a good idea is an entirely different question…
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/15 | 1,766 | 7,499 | <issue_start>username_0: I am currently applying for two universities for graduate studies at the US, assuming both universities accept me (Hopefully) should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective (like ivy league universities).
My concern is that smarter students will overrun me in the top university, is this a valid concern or there is no academic competition between students since the admissions office and the designated department would not have accepted me in the first place if I had a non competitive enough profile?<issue_comment>username_1: Short answer: why don't you come back and ask again when you got the acceptance letters from both schools? These worries seem premature.
Anyway, assuming this is more about applying to schools... I cannot tell you which to apply, but here are the components you should consider:
* It depends on the department you are going to. Not all departments in the selective schools are reputable. Meanwhile, some department in smaller schools can be the field's leader.
* It depends on your career aspiration. Graduates from reputable schools *may* face fewer barriers in advancing to become a researcher or apply for a faculty position. But this is only one piece of the puzzle; other factors such as research topics, track records, etc. matter greatly as well. If it's a skill-based degree, then check the field and ask around which institutes seem to be better recognized.
* It depends on what do you mean by "fits me better." At the very least, the chosen school should not give you more stress/misery beyond necessary (e.g. beyond stresses that is due to class work, high standard, etc.) If you have to endure extra burdens such as tension brought about by different value and culture of the organization's, then you better not go there.
* Competition happens *everywhere*. Organizational and personal cultures have a lot to do with it. There are departments/schools that particularly favor competitive students, either due to the professional nature of their degree, pride, or scarcity of resources. Personality of the classmates can also matter. Some people just love to compete, even in the most minor things of their life. Anyhow, to expect less competition because the people are more homogeneous is unrealistic; in fact, competition is the likeliest outcome to see in a homogeneous population.
* Some schools *may* consider accepting students from developing countries even the students deem slightly less competitive than the rest of the crowd. They do this for many reasons: to expand their influence, to leverage the intellectual bargaining power of the applicants' countries, to establish their department that is specialized in global work, etc. Regardless if this system is in place or not, there is always a spectrum of competency among the student body, whatever the makeup of the body is.
* Generally, I think you can benefit from some attitude readjustment. Unless you need excellent grades for scholarship or assistantship, graduate school is more of a competition within oneself than between people. As a foreign student, try your best to integrate into the local culture, make friends, build support networks, consult some cultural and study specialists at school, pay attention to your grades, ask questions, participate in discussion, bring what's unique about your experience to the table, and enjoy the stay and study. The whole process is a lot more than worrying about how not to make mistakes or fall behind.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> My concern is that smarter students will overrun me in the top university
>
>
>
Well, the good news is that the smarter students will be concerned about *you* overrunning *them*. It's called [impostor syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome), and virtually everyone at a top institution has it. (And I don't just mean the students...)
Also: being around people who are (much) smarter than you is a **good thing**, because it means you will **learn more**. (That's why you're hanging around a university, right?) The other good news is that in grad school, you will no longer be competing against your peers. The bad news is that you will now be competing against the *entire academic community* in your chosen area of study. So, it's probably good to have some other smart students around to talk to. Right?
My experience as a student at a Extremely Well-Ranked School is that other students are very supportive, and empathetic to the experience of getting through a tough program. In short: don't worry. It will be ok.
>
> should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective
>
>
>
Isn't this a tautology? The university that fits you better will fit you better.
A less sarcastic reply is: there is *nothing* that matters more in grad school (or in life in general...) than your relationships with the people immediately around you, namely, your advisor and the other members of your research group / lab. Even brilliant students who do not have a good working environment or a supportive advisor will flounder—I have seen it time and time and time again. In contrast, students who are not exceptionally brilliant but have a good relationship with their advisor / group tend to do well, at least well enough to move on to a satisfying career after grad school. Prestige, fame, money, and beauty are all higher-order terms. Pick the place where you will be happy.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: >
> should I choose the university that fits me better or the university which is more selective
>
>
>
Assuming you're lucky enough to have that choice....
Neither.
--------
**You should choose the environment that gives you the greater likelihood of future success, as defined by your own academic and career goals.**
This may be correlated with the overall reputation of the university, but any such correlation will be *very* loose. The overall reputation of the *department* is a better proxy, but still loose. The reputations of your (probable) advisor or advisors, or even better, of their former students, is even closer, but still not the whole story, because not every student wanted to do what you want to do.
Strong universities have weak departments and vice versa. Strong departments have weak research areas, or toxic work environments, and vice versa. Strong advisors in strong departments may have no interests that overlap yours, or may have working styles that badly clash with yours, or may have insufficient funding to support you, or may be located in places that you find unlivable for financial or cultural reasons.
>
> does the university evaluation (acceptance) mean that I am capable of performing perfectly in their program !?
>
>
>
**Of course not!** There's no such thing as "performing perfectly".
But acceptance *with funding* usually means that the faculty—or at least the admissions committee—believes you have a strong potential for success in that graduate program.
(I write "usually" because a few lazy/unethical departments do intentionally accept more students than they reasonably believe can succeed. Especially if this is a serious concern, **talk to current students in the department before you accept.** And acceptance *without* funding only means that they're willing to take your money; run away fast.)
Finally: **Do not listen to the Impostor Syndrome.**
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/15 | 630 | 2,667 | <issue_start>username_0: Of course, it is absolutely important to quote all thoughts that did not originate from the author. This makes one think that it would be OK to include works of others when referencing them correctly.
For example, consider that one had that really great list of problems that also apply to your own paper. Is it legal and/or legitimate to write about that list, include the key points in your work and reference the original author?
I am facing that situation where I want to include some key aspects but quoting all of them and describing them individually feels like copying too much, even though I explicitly state that the aspects originate from another paper with referencing to it.<issue_comment>username_1: You can include any material that is published as long as you appropriately cite the material (source). If you think any phrasing made by the author(s) is key, then you can do it as a quote where the text is reproduced in verbatim. If you do not use quotes you need to rephrase the text in your own words since it would otherwise be considered as a form of plagiarism. So, just be careful with referencing and quotes if necessary. It is better to have cited one time too many than the opposite.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Idea-wise it's hard to tell. It'd depend on how different your interpretations of the problems are compared to the original author's. It'd be prudent to consult a couple other researchers/peers for some objective inputs.
Format-wise, of course you can cite anything up to any amount. One way to do that is through [block quotation](https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/03/). I have seen pages and pages of run-on quotes. Just double check, again, with some people in the same field to make sure your quoting style is not too outlandish, just because it's legal to do does not mean it's culturally appropriate to do.
Since it's just a list of questions, another way I can see working around this is to tabulate them in your work, attributing the list to the original author in the caption or footnote of the table. Then, in your text, refer to the questions through the table.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It would be prudent to look up the journal's policy on such matters, as the exact answer depends on the publisher. Example: [Oxford Journals](http://www.oxfordjournals.org/access_purchase/rights_permissions_ras.html) let you copy a maximum of two figures (post-1998) from a journal article, and five per issue. Above these limits, specific permission is needed.
*If in doubt, ask the publisher of the material you're citing if it's OK.*
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/15 | 1,581 | 6,553 | <issue_start>username_0: Two years ago I did a piece of research for a journal's especial edition. I got the reviewer's comments, did all the corrections and sent it to my co-authors. One of them took so long to return his comments that the paper wasn't included in the EE. I then tried to submit it to another journal but again the same co-author took long time to provide his comments. Finally my boss suggested me to submit it to another journal (good one) without waiting for my co-author's opinion. I got the reviewer's comments back, I did all the corrections (I have 45 days), sent it to my co-authors and gave them a week to send me their comments. The same co-author is now telling me he's not happy I didn't tell him I submitted to that journal and that he won't be able to make comments in a week. I'm again in a catch-22. What do you do?<issue_comment>username_1: **Apologise to your coauthor.** Hope that he is not too upset. Ask him what to do next.
---
In the future, do not ever submit a paper for publication without discussing it with all coauthors.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It's inappropriate to submit a paper for publication before all authors agree that it is ready. Your boss shouldn't have advised you to do this.
First, you should apologize profusely to your coauthor. Make sure he knows about the deadline, then wait patiently until he is able to give his comments. If the deadline gets close, you could ask the editor whether you can have more time. If not, it may be necessary to withdraw your submission and resubmit later.
When you collaborate with coauthors, you have to accept that the final product needs to be something that everyone can agree on. Yes, this may be inconvenient if one of them is slower, or has different standards than the others, and it can cause you to miss opportunities. This is the price of collaboration. If it becomes a problem, you should talk to your coauthors and try to work out a solution that's agreeable to all, but you cannot act unilaterally.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It seems you are following your boss' (good) advice. Dealing with co-authors is not always easy as you have experienced. I think I have experienced a similar co-author, not responding but complaining whenever something happens. In my case, the co-author was definitely over-committed and the actions were basically a symptom of frustration about not being able to perform. Now, I think you have done the right thing to a point. The only thing that would have improved things would have been to provide the co-author with the information but with a strict deadline but not more than a week or two. Doing so at all stages, is the only way to deal with such cases. It is not very nice, or comfortable, but it is necessary to make a stand and convey the seriousness. In your case you have clearly had a lot of extra work due to the (lack of) actions from your co-author. I assume he has not apologized?
So what to do? Well, I would write and state that you are sorry the co-author feels left out (or however the co-author has phrased it). You can then state that the lack of response earlier made you assume the co-author was not prioritizing the work and that based on suggestions from your boss you have now taken the actions you have to get the material published. Be brief and courteous but do not add many excuses.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Summary
-------
* Apologize to your co-author for not telling him about the
submission.
* Try having a meeting/phone conference with the co-author (if possible including your supervisor) to solve the immediate problems.
* Change your requests to the co-authors to an opt-in style.
* In the future, send out "submitted paper to :-)" with the final version to all co-authors as last point on your submission routine.
---
>
> he won't be able to make comments in a week
>
>
>
That just tells you that you *won't have* his comments within the week. But you need to know when you *will have* them.
Usually, I'd ask back *when* I can have the comments. Here, however, things look more difficult. So:
* For one thing, I'd switch from email to phone (or a visit to his office). That eliminates the dead time between emailing several times and may allow you to extract a definitive answer for the time line.
* The second thing I'd probably do would be trying to have a meeting (or a phone/video conference if the co-author is too far away). If he told you that he cannot do the comments this week, send a list of possible meeting times for next week. I'd (try to) include a number of "weird" times (early morning before the usual office routine sets in, evenings, possibly even at the weekend). This serves two purposes: it makes absolutely clear how important the meeting is to you and it closes loopholes for him. Talk to your supervisor about this first, you'll probably want to have him at the meeting as well - so you need to find times that are OK with your supervisor as well (that's the "try to" above).
I'd probably email the list, ending with: if none of these is possible for you, please send me your preferred time for a meeting next week. I'd then do an immediate follow up-call "We need to talk about the paper. ... I just emailed you a number of possible times for a meeting". Ask him to tell you when the meeting would suit him.
---
For the future:
>
> gave them a week to send me their comments
>
>
>
From the context I assume you wrote something like "please send me your comments within a week".
What about changing the question to an opt-in style: "please send me your comments asap. If I don't receive any within any within a week, I'll assume you're fine with the text as it is and move on with the submission." O course, you need to be extremely timely yourself if you do this and you need to give sensible deadlines.
---
Submission without the OK of all co-authors is misconduct. However, if I understood the described situation correctly, a manuscript that was approved by all co-authors was sent to a different journal. Again, an opt-in for changes would have been the proper way, but IMHO it is not as serious as general "submit without co-authors approval": after all the text was approved by the co-author, and the choice of the journal should not make any *scientific* difference.
Also, if I understood correclty, the co-author in question does not complain about the submission, but about the fact that he didn't know about it. That again is a valid complaint, so apologize.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/16 | 412 | 1,606 | <issue_start>username_0: I have recently searched my publications in Scopus and I have found that they are all scattered around. The reason behind that maybe is because I have a compound last name. The situation has gone pretty weird also in one of my papers, where they have put one of my last names to another author that I do not even know.
The question that I have is how I can make to put all my papers under a same profile, and also delete that "ghost" author from one of my papers.<issue_comment>username_1: As Federico indicates, the [contact form](http://help.elsevier.com/app/ask_scopus/p/8150) (“Ask a question”) has a field for suggesting correction to the index:
You can directly send them the papers in question:
>
> Please attach a copy of the missing or incorrect document, this is essential for us to verify the changes and make the corrections.
>
>
>
While I don't have any direct experience with Scopus in that area, they are generally serious and I think they will act on your request. I have once contact another index provider (Web of Science) with a correction, and they updated the data within a week.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: An easier way would be to "request to merge".
Let's say that both 2 and 3 in the attached screenshots are you. Just mark the checkmark and click the "Request to merge" link.
You might want to click "Show Profile Matches with One Document" before you look up all of your entries.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/16 | 544 | 2,346 | <issue_start>username_0: I have done some independent research that I wish to mention in my SOP. The full account of what I have done till has been published as an e-print on arxiv.org. Can I give a hyperlink to this e-print in my SOP?<issue_comment>username_1: No, you shouldn't list it on your Statement of Purpose. You should cite it properly in your CV / Resume, or in a separate list of publications.
You can certainly discuss the research that led to the paper in your statement, but if the statement-readers would like to read the paper itself, they can find the reference in your other material.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes, you should absolutely list it in your statement, in the bibliography, with a hyperlink, along with all the other papers you cite in your statement.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I would differ a bit from both of the previous two responses.
The SOP and the CV serve different purposes. The SOP is the high-level summary (some would say sales pitch) for why your work is interesting and why you should be hired. This needs to be tightly written and compelling, and part of being compelling is highlighting particularly unique, interesting, or high-profile publications. Importantly, I've been told by several hiring committee members that more people will read your SOP than your CV - so if something's important, don't bury it only in the CV. The CV is more of a "data dump" in which you list everything that you've done that may be of interest. You don't necessarily want all of this detail clouding up your SOP, although you want the hiring committee to have access to it if necessary. Think of your SOP like a glossy brochure and the CV like a dictionary - the former is intended to be read while the latter is intended to be referenced.
So, that said, I think it's both a mistake to leave your publication out of your SOP entirely and also to list all of your publications there (if you have many). Reference only the key ones that support the rest of your story and include a hyperlink in a footnote if you think that a reader might actually follow it. I would suspect that this will be a rare event, though, and I would encourage you to put enough detail from this publication in the SOP itself that a reader won't have to follow the link to get the gist of what you did.
Upvotes: 4 |
2013/11/17 | 545 | 2,275 | <issue_start>username_0: In my master thesis I developed a software tool that improves a common workflow used in a certain industry. Currently, no such tool exists, and this workflow is conducted manually all around the globe. I am currently in the finalization phase of my thesis and my supervisor told me to write a paper on the tool and the worflow improvement.
Now here is my Problem:
* I have the tool and I can show that the workflow is performed better with it (our industry partner puts almost no limits on use cases, interviews, etc)
* I have no idea how properly package this into a paper (also, what to objectively measure to "proof" the improvement)
Could someone please point out a few "good" papers, where a software tool was created for a problem domain (where no such tool existed before) and evaluated so that I can learn from it's structure, the approach and the proper "packaging" of the entire paper?<issue_comment>username_1: Although I don't have any specific tips on structuring this type of paper, you might be interested in [this list](http://www.software.ac.uk/resources/guides/which-journals-should-i-publish-my-software) of journals that focus on publishing scientific software. You should be able to find lots of examples of "software" papers there. Those papers that I have read in *Methods in Ecology and Evolution* have been particularly high quality, and you might try starting there.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you just want to write a paper on the software itself, the list provided in [username_1 answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/14175/7112) is perfectly fine.
If you want to conduct a research on how the tool actually enhanced certain processes in a firm, you might go for a paper in an [Information Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_systems) venue.
Start looking for articles in what you can access of the [Top 8 journals for IS](http://start.aisnet.org/?SeniorScholarBasket). Look for "decision support system" and add some of your paper's keywords. You will find plenty of papers with methodologies.
Be aware that IS venues demand very strong theoretical background and motivation for a study. They like theory a lot. So, be prepared to read a lot and to write a lot :-)
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/17 | 2,308 | 10,161 | <issue_start>username_0: When applying to faculty jobs, how much weight is given to your research/teaching statements? Talking with a few folks on admissions committees at Very Good Departments in Big Research Universities, I was told in no uncertain terms that
* your letters get you the interview,
* your talk and individual meetings get you the job,
* nothing else *really* matters,
where "nothing" includes your research statement, your teaching statement, the *content* of your publications, or your hairdo. Of course, I am working with a very small sample here. How true is this sentiment? (And if it is true, why keep asking us young folks to write these hackneyed teaching statements that nobody ever reads?) More importantly,
**Question:** For those who have been on faculty hiring committees, what are the ***actual*** criteria you use to invite applicants?
By ***actual*** (in bold and italics) I don't mean *"what the job posting specifies"* or *"what the department charter says you're supposed do,"* but rather *"how you actually make these decisions in a meeting right before lunch while preoccupied with a grant proposal due at midnight and the fact that the cafeteria is going to fill up with noisy smelly undergrads if you don't get there soon."*<issue_comment>username_1: I am the chair of the faculty recruiting committee in a Very Good Department at a Big Research University. **I read research and teaching statements.**
I need to know that you have a compelling agenda for your *future* research; your letters won't talk about that at all. I need to know that you can describe and motivate your research agenda well enough to attract external research funding. I need to know that you know why (not just "that") your work is interesting, visible, important, and likely to have high impact. I need to know that you communicate clearly enough to be a good teacher, and that you care enough about teaching to formulate a coherent teaching philosophy. I need to know that your research, teaching, and career goals—as **you** describe them—match those of my department. I need to know that you are taking the recruiting process seriously.
In the long run, your publications (**which I also read**) and your recommendation letters are probably more important. But saying that your statements have *no* importance is a dangerous exaggeration.
Also, I don't eat in the cafeteria.
Upvotes: 7 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree that letters are by far the most important part of an application, but there's a big difference between not reading something and not having it be the deciding factor. Your research statement is needed to describe your research agenda; if you don't do a good job of this, you are unlikely to be hired. However, there's only so much one can learn from a research statement. For example, some people describe ambitious plans they cannot actually carry out successfully, some are very good at making incremental work sound exciting, and some may work in an area nobody on the hiring committee can evaluate confidently (perhaps that's why the department needs to hire in this area). The top candidates all have impressive research statements, and the differences between them are generally not compelling enough to matter compared with what the letters reveal. On the other hand, it's certainly possible to write a bad research statement, for example by giving the impression that your greatest ambition is to refine your thesis work forever. If you do that, you'll discover that someone was reading after all.
Teaching statements are a messier subject, and nobody can quite agree on what should even be in them. Search committee members at research universities differ in how they evaluate them: some read them very seriously, while others use them for nothing but filtering out applicants who might provoke a student uprising through incompetent teaching. I think you'd be surprised at how many people care about teaching, even in departments that are not known for teaching excellence overall, and even people who don't care about teaching know they need to maintain some minimal standards and put on a good show for the administration.
Of course, all this depends on what sort of job you are applying for. There's enormous variation, not just via the obvious categories (research universities, comprehensive universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, etc.) but also at the departmental level or just based on who's on the search committee. There are overall patterns, such as the importance of letters, but there is no agreement on things like whether cover letters matter.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes, people like to rant about the current state of the system, and most often over-exaggerate the importance given to this or that item. Some people find it sounds better to say *“the system is rigged/stupid/corrupt, all that counts is whom you know”* than *“it's a pretty tough job, and we need that much information to make the best decision”*.
I think the simplest way to make the point is this one: **with the huge amount of competition and pressure on that particular job market, hiring committees use all the information they can get their hands on to make the best decision**.
Going to the extreme, even things like your hairdo, your clothes and your language style do convey information to your interlocutors: does the guy know how to adhere certain basic social conventions, for one thing? It sure is a minor element compared to your publications, but it may come to play a role, because, well, plenty of other applicants will have stellar publications!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: As a member of a hiring committee in a small department at a primarily undergraduate institution, I read both statements.
>
> For the research statement
>
>
>
I need to know that the research planned by the candidate is feasible at my institution. If he/she needs access to one of only five specialty instruments in the world, then I am suspicious that the candidate may not be happy at my institution and will likely want to move on in a few years. I also want to see projects that look like they are friendly to undergraduates. Finally, since I am in a small department, I want to see research that somehow balances our desire to find someone who complements the types of research we are already doing while filling in voids in our expertise.
>
> For the teaching statement
>
>
>
Since teaching will be the majority of what the candidate will do, I read this statement for a few key items.
1. Is the statement cogent and organized? I do not care what the teaching philosophy of the candidate is so much as I care that the candidate has clearly thought about how they would approach teaching and learning.
2. Does the statement contain more specific examples than fluffy buzzwords? Even if the candidate has limited teaching experience, specific examples from classes the candidate has taken again demonstrate that the candidate has thought about what good teaching might look like.
3. How long is the statement? Half a page means the candidate put no effort into the statement. More than three pages means the candidate does not have focused thoughts on the matter.
Ultimnately, I make certain to read both statements carefully for the same reason I read the letters carefully. I want to make sure the candidate is the best possible match for the job.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: Every time I do an interview I see the interviewers pull out a folder and read my research statements right in front of me. So yes, I am pretty positive people read them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I sat on a hiring committee last year. We read all the research statements. Candidates didn't submit a separate "teaching philosophy" but did discuss teaching experience/perspective in their cover letters.
I would bet that it depends on the job. If the job is narrowly targeted toward a specific research area, your research statement is more likely to be similar to those of many other applicants, so it may carry somewhat less weight. For the committee I was on, the job ad was very open-ended, so the research statements carried considerable weight in weeding out people whose research didn't jibe with the department's goals.
At least in my experience, it is quite untrue that the letters are the only thing that gets you the interview. In our discussions, letters were among the least discussed aspects of the applications. Committee members would not if a particular letter seemed especially glowing or damning, but that was about it.
One thing you don't mention is your CV, which I found to be one of the most important factors. We spent a lot of time discussing the research output of the candidates.
In general, my impression is that it is (unfortunately) much easier to shipwreck your prospects than to boost them. We definitely had people who gave poor interviews, or poor job talks, and thereby took themselves out of the running. So, even if people don't give the research statement immense weight, it's worth your while to make it decent, because if it is noticeably sucky it could torpedo your chances.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: It's certainly true that publications, letters and your performance in an interview are far more important than research or teaching statements; I'd much rather be on the job market with latter weak than the former. That said, I think you're conflating two things here: most applicants' research and teaching statements never get read. But if you get the job, it's pretty likely they were. Between TT and postdoc searches, my department currently has 623 applicants in our MathJobs queue; that's way too many to read all the research statements of. But eventually things will get narrowed to a shortlist, and then documents will get read.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_8: I have been on search committees. I have made decisions (usually decisions about who goes on my short list) on the basis of the research statement. So make an effort to have it readable and accurate.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/17 | 860 | 3,726 | <issue_start>username_0: I have written a research book on the topic of abstract pure mathematics. Now the book is in review with a scientific publisher.
In the book there are some conjectures formulated by myself. There are also some conjectures and problems at my site, which are not in the book.
I want to create a community of mathematicians around my book to solve questions I formulated and related issues.
Any advice to help build the community? Maybe should I ask the publisher to place a prominent URL of my site on the topic of the book on the book cover. (The URL is already present in the text of my book, but it may probably be more prominent if placed on the cover.)
I also think that it may be worth to redesign my Web page on the topic of the book to make it "problem oriented" (to place unsolved problems at the top of my page instead of the bottom as it is now). Well, on the other side serious researchers should anyway read my entire page and all links on it. What do you think?
Any other advice?
And a note: I am not a math professional, I am an amateur. (This means that I earn money in some other way than from my knowledge of mathematics.)<issue_comment>username_1: This really depends on what your ultimate goals are. If, as the tag of 'self-promotion' would suggest, you are after increased publicity of your book and self promotion of your website, I think you are likely to have a tough job creating your own community of interested parties from scratch. Certainly, making your website links highly prominent in your book would be a key start. Making links throughout the book relating to problems you have posed in the book would also be useful (but perhaps not so practical now if the book is in review). If you intend your community to be focused around your website, then yes, you should redesign it and separate it from your other web interests (minor links are ok).
If you would like to be involved with a mathematical community in order to help solve worthwhile, interesting and stimulating mathematical problems posed by you, you might want to consider presenting your questions at [Mathematics Stack Exchange](https://math.stackexchange.com/), just as you have already done.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Instead of getting the community to approach you, I suggest that you be the one to approach the community. As an amateur (one who is outside the academic mathematical community), you are at a big disadvantage.
I recommend that you attend conferences and interact with others who are doing work similar to yours. In my opinion, the best way to get attention is to present papers in good conferences and to publish papers in respectable journals. By doing this, your reputation will improve and your work will be better known.
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_3: I very much doubt that this idea will work. Research mathematics already has its communities: conferences and workshops. New conferences and workshops pop up all the time but they do it because a group of mathematicians say, "Hey, we keep meeting and talking about Topic X and there are lots of other people who'd be interested. Why don't we run a workshop on that?" The communities form because a group of mathematicians has a common interest, not because somebody stands up and says, "Hey! I have this really interesting problem! Everybody come work on it with me!"
The venue for announcing "Hey! I have this really interesting problem!" is a pre-existing conference, as Joel explains in [his answer](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/18387/10685). If people find it interesting, they'll start to work on it. If enough people start to work on it, they might start to organize workshops.
Upvotes: 3 |
2013/11/17 | 907 | 3,766 | <issue_start>username_0: I've received a perplexing peer-review to a submitted paper of mine. The editor asks for major revisions, and sent us two reviews. The first one is serious and raises good points: we'll work, amend the manuscript and send a detailed reply to the editor.
The second reviewer, however, has a 3 (minor) weird questions, and his fourth is:
>
> The authors claimed that “[some sentence taken from the abstract]”. Please give more detailed explanations
>
>
>
where the sentence is actually a summary of our two-page “Results and discussion” section, i.e. the core of the paper.
**I'm concerned that the second reviewer has actually not really read the full paper** [1], and wonder what the best option to deal with it. I've come with the following ideas:
1. In the response to the editor, respond to this request by simply saying *“This claim is backed up and discussed at length in section IV”*.
2. Do not respond, but write to the editor saying I am concerned about whether the reviewer actually read the paper at all.
3. Try to do some editing and write an evasive response, like *“We have edited the manuscript to improve the clarity of the discussion on this point”*.
I want to take option #1, because I think the editor will read between the lines. I'd hate to badmouth the reviewer (option #2), or risk deteriorating the manuscript by silly editing (#3).
**What's your take on this? Do you have advice or suggestions on how to act in this situation?**
---
[1] I must say here that I started by doubting the clarity of our paper, first. Trying not to be overly defensive of my work! But after asking a friend a second opinion on it, he agrees with me that the review seems shoddy.<issue_comment>username_1: The first thing to do, which I understand you have done, is to check all comments to see whether or not something is unclear or can be misunderstood. Your experience with the second reviewers matches what I see as an editor, that (very) short reviews often are sub-par, and essentially of very little use (applies to both positive and negative reviews). So this is unfortunately not unique.
What I think you should do is the following. Follow up the first reviewer's comments as carefully as you see fit. When you turn to the comments of the second author, try to treat them seriously as well. If you are lucky, maybe something you fixed in response to reviewer 1 will cover Reviewer 2's comments. If not, you need to try to respond to the comments even if you think they are pointless. Failing to respond, or trying to brush them off (regardless of how much you would like to do so), should be avoided. The example you gave should be possible to counter by simply saying that the abstract is not the place to expand on any discussion, since a detailed discussion is provided in the paper proper. Although this may seem unnecessary, you do not know how the editor will interpret the comments and your reply, so try to be clear and stay neutral.
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: In my view:
Option 1 is fine. You are not required to do what a reviewer asks - if you choose not to do so you just need to explain why.
Option 2 is not a good idea. You **are required** to respond to every comment made by a reviewer, regardless if you agree or disagree.
Option 3 is also fine. This may be the safest bet - I am guessing you could probably even add a single sentence and the reviewer will almost certainly say its fine.
Probably both 1 and 3 are ok and will get you past this reviewer. You can also go for a combined strategy like: "We feel this claim is backed up and discussed at length in section IV. Nevertheless, we have edited the manuscript to improve the clarity of the discussion on this point."
Upvotes: 5 |
2013/11/18 | 525 | 2,194 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a mathematics PhD student in the US graduating this year. I recently received a very good 3 year postdoc offer in Europe, which I have to accept or decline in early December. Not being a big risk taker, I am leaning toward accepting the offer.
I have also applied for an NSF postdoc, which I would prefer to the European offer but am obviously not a shoe in to get--and the results of which won't be known until February. If I accept the European offer, I will have to decline the NSF postdoc if awarded.
If I do that, would I be allowed to reapply for the NSF next year?<issue_comment>username_1: If you accept another position before the NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are awarded, you should officially withdraw your NSF application. The way the NSF postdocs work is that there is no second round of offers: if you are awarded one and turn it down, then it won't be offered to their next choice of candidate, who might have received it if you had withdrawn your application. Furthermore, I believe withdrawing will preserve your eligibility for next year, while you will not be eligible if you decline an offer (according to the [official instructions](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/dms/MSPRF/MSPRF_fastlane_instructions.pdf)).
Upvotes: 5 <issue_comment>username_2: I think username_1 has left out something pretty important here, which is that often these situations can be finessed. Have you spoken to the people at the school in Europe about the possibility of you getting the NSF postdoc? Often you can spend one year at wherever you applied to for your NSF and then move to a different place. It's also probably worth speaking to the project officer for the NSF; a lot of things about the fellowship are really up to him/her, so it's possible you could get approval to transfer your NSF to this new place. There's no guarantee, but it's possible with the timing they'll be understanding. You'll never know until you ask.
I completely agree that you need to withdraw your application from the NSF and any other jobs if you know you won't accept them this year. That's just common decency, and it will save people trouble.
Upvotes: 4 |
2013/11/18 | 1,004 | 4,420 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a member of a curriculum committee where we want to improve our undergraduate physics program. One way of doing that is to include weekly discussion sessions with our courses.
After looking at the undergraduate physics programs in some universities, including top ones, I have noticed the following:
1. Such sessions come under different names: recitation session, discussion session, tutorial session, problem session. Are they all the same thing? if not then what is the difference?
2. The total number of credit hours for a course that has 3 hrs lecture and 1 weekly discussion session sometimes is listed as 3 Cr. in some universities or 4 Cr. in other university. What are the criteria to include or not to include that session in the course credits?
(Replies are welcomed from math, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, geology, etc.)<issue_comment>username_1: As JeffE states, there aren't really any hard and fast rules about when recitation sections count for credit and when they don't, because of the multiple overlapping credit systems used.
For instance, in the "Carnegie" units system, such as that used by MIT, the amount of credit associated with a class is strictly dependent on the number of hours expected to be spent on a class per week. For instance, a 12-unit course requires 12 hours of work per week on average, while a 9-unit course would be less than that. The number of hours spent in class is included in the total, but does not strictly govern it.
Other faculties may have their own rules for deciding how much a class is worth. My undergraduate institution, for instance, had a fairly strict reckoning system: 1 "unit" for most classes, 1.5 for language classes, 0.5 for labs "bundled" with a lecture course, and 1 unit for labs "separated" from a lecture course. Recitation and discussion sections did not carry any extra credit.
So it basically is what the tradition for your school in assigning credit should be, and what regulations your university has with respect to this matter.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Just add a couple more points that may be more applicable to you as a committee member.
Usually, most academic degrees granted by universities are accredited by some overseeing organizations. These organizations evaluate the school's syllabus, infrastructure, and other personal and academic factors, and determine if they would continue their acknowledgement of the degree's representativeness. You can scout around and see if your department has some of these accreditation processes, and learn more about the missions and criteria of those overseeing organization.
Second, check your school's and department's mission/value statements. When proposing a new course, these statements would come handy as a supporting point. Similarly, if your department has a good academic competency checklist, you can also refer to that list, and evaluate if, overall, your institute's degree is enabling these competencies, and if a discussion-type course can further strengthen so.
Third, understand the process of approving a course. This process varies school by school. However, most often there should be a committee (probably called curriculum and academic committee, etc.) that meets regularly to approve new courses or remove old courses. Ask if you can sit in one of those meetings and learn how the process happens. Meeting with the chairperson or secretary would also be helpful.
Fourth, if you happen to be a student representative, don't forget to use your connection to solicit students' ideas. Be very present and actively seek inputs (even it means standing out at a large lecture and ask them to fill in your online survey, etc.)
All these should give a good preparation.
Now, your question is difficult to answer because it does not just depend of school, but also is an evolutionary process of its own within each of the schools. A credit-counting discussion course might be a result of an informal journal club started a couple decades ago... likewise, a current informal discussion could be a remnant of a credit-counting course many years ago which was crowded out by expanded syllabus or was cancelled due to constant under-enrollment. You'd have to check with some more senior faculty members to understand the ins and outs. And here, knowing the school culture and history would help.
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/18 | 381 | 1,786 | <issue_start>username_0: English is not my first language, and I am concerned that my statement of purpose might contain some grammatical and punctuation mistakes that neither Microsoft word nor I can see. What is the best way to overcome this problem, and to what degree does this affect the admissions committee decision putting into consideration that English isn't my first language?
P.S. I don't have any native English-speaking friends and I don't trust companies or online sites to see my statement of purpose to check its correctness.<issue_comment>username_1: If the written question above is a genuine reflection of your English spelling and grammar abilities, then I strongly suggest you seek professional services to assist if you are in any way concerned about your abilities having an adverse impact on your application.
This application is clearly a very important step in determining your future, and if it is so important and you have concerns, it is not worth leaving it to chance. If you have no suitable friends, use a professional service. Plenty of other *native-English* speaking applicants who are competing for spaces with you will have done so.
I can't say for certain how a selection committee will factor your English as a second language. It is likely to depend on the institution and the course you are applying for.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: English not being your first language should not be an excuse. No one is perfect and making a mistake is acceptable, surely if you're not a native speaker. But it makes you look less interested if there are a lot of mistakes in your text.
A native English speaker would be advised - since they might be able to phrase something better than someone who's just "good".
Upvotes: 2 |
2013/11/19 | 601 | 2,236 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to figure out whether I need to cite these poems or not.
>
> “Out, Out—” has its morbid description of a young boy bleeding out and
> its underlying theme of death. “Nothing Gold Can Stay” has its
> pessimistic theme that nothing beautiful can stay beautiful.
>
>
>
I speak so generally that I
1. Have no idea if it's ethical or not to exclude citation
2. What I would cite were I to. Generally you cite poems by line numbers. If one were to cite a poem based on a description of its theme, doesn't that encompass the *entire* poem? This has more to do with the in-text citation part.
Thanks for any help<issue_comment>username_1: In general, it's always a good idea to cite your sources. This can especially be the case with older poetry, where there are often differences in spelling, punctuation, and layout between different editions of the same poem.
So, at the first mention of a literary work, whether it's a direct quotation or an indirect reference, it's probably a good idea to cite the specific version of the poem you're writing about. This will make life easier for everybody involved. You would cite the overall poem, usually as a publication in a larger source, and follow the specific guidelines of whatever style manual the publication you are writing for (or the school you are attending) is using.
For example:
>
> <NAME>. "Sonnet 100" in *Every Sonnet Ever Written by Anybody*, ed. <NAME>. Random Publisher, Some City (2000).
>
>
>
Then, if you go on to cite the poem again, you can refer to the specific lines as needed; general statements probably wouldn't need to be cited.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think you answered your own question. Although my [trusty handbook](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0205651712) doesn't specifically address this issue, when citing a poem based on a description of its theme, you *are* referring to the entire poem. In text citation would thus be (Poetmann lines 1-100), where 100 is the last line of the poem. Obviously, if you later mention a specific line of the poem to back up your claim about the theme, you would cite this particular line as (Poetmann 6).
Upvotes: 0 |
2013/11/19 | 705 | 2,985 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a mathematics Ph.D student in the United States, and recently received a 3 year postdoctoral offer in Germany, which I have only a few weeks to accept or decline. The offer is very good (high salary, travel funding, no teaching unless I want to) the PI is basically the top person in my field, and the position also solves my 2 body problem (my SO has a similar offer from the same place), so I am tempted to accept it.
However, I have sometimes heard that an American doing a postdoc in Europe is at a disadvantage applying for permanent jobs since European positions are often restricted to EU citizens and American schools are less likely to hire someone who did a postdoc in Europe.
Can someone (on either side of the pond) offer perspective on whether my concerns are valid?
I need to accept or decline the position before offers for US postdocs are sent out.<issue_comment>username_1: I'll contribute to answering on the European side… **nationality requirements for European positions are rare**, although not totally unheard of (especially in some strategic sectors). To give only a few examples, French [CNRS positions](http://www.dgdr.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/informer/default-en.htm) and UK [EPSRC fellowships](http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/Pages/whocanapply.aspx) have no nationality requirements.
More common, however, are language requirements: **positions that include some teaching** (lecturer, assistant professor, …) very often **require that you speak the language of the country**. So, unless you're targeting the UK in particular, if you get a post-doc in the EU, you'd better pick up the language!
Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm aware of a few potential issues applying for academic jobs in the US after a European (or non-North American) postdoc. These won't necessarily come up in any given job, but they're the problems I've heard of people having. (Specifically, I know of different people who've had each of these problems individually.)
Many American schools are reluctant to hire someone who doesn't have adequate teaching experience, and especially at least some experience teaching service courses (courses to non-majors), since that's such a large part of the job in the US. European postdocs often have less or different teaching requirements.
Many schools can't afford to fly people in from Europe to interview for position, and will therefore officially or unofficially discount applications from someone in Europe.
There's still some variation in how people write recommendation letters, so a European writer is more likely to write a letter which comes across as negative to Americans. (More specifically, in the US, almost any negative comment in a recommendation letter, even a very mild one, is taken as a hint that the problem is much worse than is being said. In Europe, I'm told it's more common to include mild critique of an applicant in an overall positive letter.)
Upvotes: 4 |
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