Potential downsides to requesting an extension I am curently working on my final year project which has a deadline in 3 weeks. This deadline has already been extended by 1 month from the previous deadline (which would have just passed) for everyone as a mitigation measure for the COVID situation. This was applied automatically and was not something that we had to request.
Now, in addition to this, we have been told that we can individually request 7 day extensions (this applies to all pieces of coursework from all courses, not just final-year projects) and that we should expect these to be granted. Again, due to the current situation, we have been told we won't have to give a reason or proof for requesting them.
My situation is that I still have a considerable amount of work to do on this project (I have written up about half of the number of pages we are recommended to do) and one extra week would definitely help to some extent, but maybe not by much. If I wanted to, I would be able to complete the project by the deadline without having to ask for this extension (by working extra hard for these 3 weeks), so the only help the extension would give me would be to be able to produce slightly better quality work and therefore maybe get a slightly higher mark. I have never asked for an extension in my four years at university so I'm a bit discouraged to have to do so now right at the end.
My question is if the professors who mark my project (which are 2 of them) may have an unconscious bias against "late" submissions (even with a valid extension) and this could result in me losing out in a few marks in the more subjective marking criteria. Of course, this could only happen if the markers know about it in the first place, which would be if either

They start marking the projects submitted by the normal deadline before the extended deadline has passed, or
They wait until all extension-included deadlines have passed before marking any project, but they can see the submission date/time when marking them.

One of the two markers is my project advisor, so he will probably know if I have requested this extra extension because we talk quite regularly about how my project is going (so when the normal deadline approaches, he will ask whether I'm (nearly) finished already).
To be clear, I know that in theory I shouldn't be penalised for requesting and using an extension since that is the purpose of them. I am just curious if the markers will assume that students who request extensions (especially in this case after everyone having already been given one) are weaker students and therefore expect my project to be slightly lower quality.

I suggest that if the university has set a rule that they will follow it properly. To make another assumption or guess is a fool's game.
The downside of not requesting the extension is clear; you don't do as good or complete a job. If you want to game that, then fine, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It is a mistake to guess or assume that people are trying to trick you so that they can, for some conscious or unconscious reason, punish you.

I'll note that they could have set a rule that, for example, you can have an extra week for a 5% grade penalty. But it would have been unethical to not say the last part if that was the intention.


Can we cite/use publications from other disciplines? I reflect about preparing research publications and possibly starting a PhD. The subject matter of my interest has connections with the social sciences different from mine.

Specialised in Law, I intend to research a topic which is closely connected with political science and sociology. Such publications, done in the sciences different from mine, would be of a great use for me as they may improve the description of the context proper to my own topic.

Therefore, it would be nice to know whether using cross-discipline sources is allowed in academia. If yes, which precise conditions would I want to respect to avoid getting my publications rejected?

Many thanks for any informative input.

As I have previously said in an answer to another question on this site, research is about telling the truth about facts of reality.  You can cite any fact of reality you want, from any source.  If you want to cite sources from other disciplines that is absolutely fine.  You can cite papers from any discipline.  You can cite a published academic paper, a newspaper article, a blog post, a letter, a tweet, the conditions written on the back of a bus-pass, or the graffiti written on the wall of the faculty toilets.  Any source of information that is relevant to your paper is fine.  So long as cited information advances your work, and you specify the source, and accurately transcribe the remarks, that is okay.

Generally academics stick mostly to citing peer-reviewed research appearing in academic journals so that they are dealing with reliable information.  Cross-disciplinary research frequently cites work from across disciplinary boundaries.  The main thing you will want to do to make sure your work is acceptable is to do your literature review well, and make sure you are citing relevant work that bears on your results.  You are unlikely to get a rejection for citing work that the referee hadn't thought of.  It is more likely you will get a rejection for failing to mention relevant published work that bears on your argument that the referee wants you to add.  For that reason, cross-disciplinary research generally requires citations from multiple fields.


Suggesting reviewers for a very sectorial double-blind submission The topic of suggesting reviewers to a journal has been covered here multiple times, for example on how to pick them or whether it is (always) good practice to actually follow the suggestion.

I have a different doubt that I do not find covered in other questions, that arise from the following conditions:

As I think very highly of my paper (who doesn't of their own!) I want to suggest very reputable and expert reviewers; I need 5 at least;
The topic of the paper is very sectorial, and adds to a very small community;
The paper has been previously presented at a conference with no proceedings;
The journal follows the double-blind review process.

As a result of this, I am at short of qualified reviewers to pick: most of the people I could indicate (which are several) already know about the paper (as they were at the conference, or I know for a fact that they already read it); these are not colleagues, and a review from them would not imply any "conflict of interest", but will certainly break blidness as they would know right away who wrote the paper.

It seems rather silly to include their names in the list of reviewers knowing that, was the editor to invite them, they would have to refuse to review it.

On the other hand, the list of highly qualified people that would make for an excellent reviewer is too short without any of those names included!

Should I:

Include them anyway and specify that they may know about the paper because of its presentation at conference X?
Suggest less qualified reviewers, accepting the risk that a) the suggest reviewer may dislike the paper or b) the reviewer may not necessarily "impress" the editor?
Submit the paper with less than the required number of reviewers, if the system allows me to?

I would suggest (1), with a tweak. There is no need to mention that these reviewers may have seen it at a conference. As you said, it does not constitute a conflict of interest. That is the only reason you should mention additional information about a reviewer.

Let's be clear, there is nothing illegal about a reviewer having come across your work earlier. It may break blindness, but then, blindness is often broken in double blind reviews for various reasons (small communities, typical writing style, figure formats etc.). This does not really compromise the review. The only exception I see is if the reviewer is a petty competitor, who would use his prior knowledge to rule against your paper.

If you feel that any of these reviewers may be biased against the work, don't suggest them as preferred reviewers, regardless of their standing.


Does one need a master's in math before taking a PhD in math in Europe? This question is a variation of my earlier questions.

Okay so in the US, I guess one does not need a master's in math before pursuing a PhD in math since the US apparently usually assumes only a bachelor's.

What about in Europe? Technically, my master's is in mathematical finance not mathematics. So I didn't have research experience in looking through (pure) math books or articles in order to try to prove something theoretical or anything like that except for a few problem sets.

On an answer to one of my previous questions, user deviantfan commented that:

"In many european countries, it´s not even allowed/possible to skip the master degree."

Perhaps my question may be rephrased:

  Is the master's in X PhD requirement in Europe satisfied by a
  master's in Applied X rather than Pure X?

I will try to respond to the abstract question, with a perspective from Germany (that may or may not be valid for other European countries):

  Is the master's in X PhD requirement in Europe satisfied by a master's in Applied X rather than Pure X?

The general answer to this is yes.

As opposed to the subject chosen for the Bachelor and Master degree, which is usually supposed to be the same or closely related in Europe, as Bachelor and Master curricula are closely coupled here, a PhD is often completely disconnected from the former studies.

Note that the Austrian website that Moritz linked to in the original version of his answer does not require a particular Master's degree, but a "relevant Master's degree". Without any further restrictions, this means that anything closely related to the subject (and the relationship between Applied X and Pure X might very well be sufficient) should do. At least, that would be the interpretation in Germany; it is possible Austrians interpret this differently.

However, it is also very well possible that the suitability of the Master's major is determined based on the research projects at hand. In that case, it depends entirely on the decision of the respective department chair, and it would be worthwhile to contact departments you are interested in. As a concrete example, it is completely normal in Germany to see Masters of Physics, Linguistics, and Maths starting PhDs in Computer Science, not only Masters in Computer Science.

EDIT: To clarify the last remark: None of them have to take any extra courses; rather, they are expected to bring their professional subject-specific knowledge from physics, linguistics, and maths, respectively, into their computer science research (while "informally" (i.e. without a class) catching up with the CS knowledge), just like Masters in CS are expected to use their professional CS-specific knowledge in their computer science research, while "informally" acquiring knowledge on (w.l.o.g.) physics, linguistics, and maths, as required for their respective research.


How are interactions with professors on postgraduate open days taken into account in admissions decisions? I am applying for a masters in the UK and I attended an open day where I met various professors. I met with a professor who also happened to be the postgraduate admissions tutor. We spoke for a while and we really clicked and got on really well. We email each other and he has given me his thoughts on my suitability. He  identified areas of concern but he said he may be able to make me an offer.  It has become really clear to him that I am really passionate and enthusiastic.

When he is looking through the applications and he comes across mine, will he take into account how much we clicked and how we met on the open day?
Is he allowed to take into account things about me outside of my on-line application? Or is that unfair?

Objective criteria (such as grades, test scores) are often used to make the "first cut" of candidates. At the second and final rounds,  admissions decisions are made holistically and subjectively. 1 It is there that your being proactive and going to the Open Day, talking to professors, and the postgrad admissions tutor become things that  count in your favor.

How much they will count is uncertain and unknowable. Ultimately it is your suitability to the program that is most important.

1. In the United States, the use of objective criteria such as race  has been cause for lawsuits and scrutiny by the Supreme Court.


What should I do if my advisor insists on being first author, in violation of my field's conventions? My advisor obligate me to put her name first author name in my publication. What are the possible pros and cons of this order? What should I do if my advisor insists on being first author, in violation of my field's conventions? My field is IT.

I have unfortunately seen these kinds of shenanigans before, so: know you are not alone, whatever cold comfort that may be.

This situation has no "pro," and has the following significant "con:" you are not getting the credit you deserve for your work. In fields where author lists are not ordered alphabetically, order is used to signify the author's contributions to the paper, and first-author papers are much more important for things like hiring and promotions.

I suggest the following steps.

1. Talk to your advisor

Maybe this is just a misunderstanding, or there are other variables in play you're not aware of (unlikely, but possible - see this question).  Have a conversation with your advisor to see if you can clear this up.

Here's your opener:

  I thought that in IT, usually the student who did most of the work is the first author and the advisor is the last - this is the case in all the papers I have read. Why do you propose a different order?

2. Run, don't walk

This behavior is typically an indication that either

your advisor is completely unaware of conventions in your field (charitable interpretation), or
your advisor is aware of the authorship conventions and is deliberately violating them to your disadvantage, which is extremely unethical behavior.

In either case, this means that your advisor is simply unsuitable to be an advisor, to anyone, and you should find another one as soon as humanly possible.

3. If all else fails

If you are stuck with this advisor for some reason1, be prepared for a very bumpy ride. This is not likely to be the last stunt he/she pulls.

However, you can at least try to argue your case: there is some advice on the subject here, although that question does not specifically address the case where the advisor is demanding first authorship for him/herself.

1This site is full of students who insist on staying with a completely unsuitable advisor, for one reason or another. I suspect Stockholm syndrome.


How to quiet noisy undergrads students during lecture I am teaching a class of about 100 undergraduates.
The class meets for a three-hour block every week
in a lecture hall which seats about 120.
We have about 2-3 breaks every lecture,
to give students time to buy food, go to the restroom,
and also to work on some in-class problems
which they have to submit after the lecture.

The problem that I am facing is
that many of the students like to chit-chat even when I am talking.
I find that this is distracting for the students
who want to concentrate on what I am saying.

What are some techniques which I can apply
to nicely tell the students to keep quiet?

Clarification:
When it's time to work on the in-class problems,
the students get 20 minutes to do so,
and are free to talk as much as they like.
The problem with the students being noisy
is that they are noisy during the lecture
when there are supposed to be quiet.

Call them out when you notice it. Stop what you're doing - single the chit-chatters out, and ask them if they have anything they'd like to say.  If they have questions they should ask them so that the entire class can hear - that way everyone can learn.  If they do have questions, remind them of whatever protocol you have for questions (raise a hand, hold questions for designated question breaks, etc).
Otherwise, make it clear that you won't tolerate chit-chat and, if they persist, simply remove them from the class.  Make it clear that they are welcome to return to the next lecture on the condition that they keep quiet during the lecture. Be sure to be polite and cordial, of course, but don't waver on being firm.
It is not acceptable for a few noisy students to compromise the learning environment for everyone else. Just get them out of there. You probably won't have to do this more than once or twice before the rest figure out that you're serious. As a lecturer, you're the captain of the ship. Don't be afraid to be the captain - keeping order is your job.  The quiet students are relying on you.
Also keep in mind that it is not your job to make sure that they pay attention - that's their job.  "Listen to me" should not be your responsibility, it should be theirs.  Your responsibility is primarily "Don't disrupt my lecture!  Others are trying to listen to me".  If they would like to quietly not pay attention, that's fine.  They're paying for a seat in the lecture hall - what they do with it is up to them, so long as it does not affect the learning environment for everyone else (who are also paying for their seat in that lecture hall!).


For a transfer applicant, is it wise to ask the university applied to, not to contact my current one? Premise that I'm already an undergraduate at a university, but want to change to a UK university. Call the Current uni, C. Call the university that I'm Applying to, A.

Is it acceptable and reasonable to ask A not to contact C without my permission? I don't look suspicious or weird to A, but I will fret about repercussions from C, dislikes students changing unis during their course, if C learns about my application to A.

I'm completely OK for A to ask me to send A reasonable details about me directly from C or my referee, like grade transcripts, without going through me. Privacy is still kept because my referee already knows and because only the transcript office at C is probably bound by privacy rules. Even then, the transcript office will only know that I've something to do with A, but not what. But I DON'T want A to write C's student office, registrar, departmental office, relevant undergraduate faculty, ... like underneath.

  'Dear C, This is A. Because Frank is applying to A to change subjects, therefore can you please tell us ...? Also, can you please ask Frank to send us ... ?

I don't think it is wise. Such things would probably do more harm to your case. I see no reason for C to be "repercussive" to students trying to transfer. I've heard about particular professors to act that way, but never about institutions. In any case, their repercussions towards you are clearly an issue and should be addressed. However, this has nothing to do with the institution A, which will follow its procedures. If you issued such request to A, they would probably think that you have something to hide.

As for C, you should clearly transfer to another institution if the claims you have laid out are true. Don't fret about what they will think. It is your education and your life and you are free to make decisions which suit you best.


How to refer to works that I did not read In the context of my thesis research I have recovered the data of some important old papers whose data is sometimes referred by the name of its authors, but that are never explicitly cited.

I though it important to refer all the data of these papers somewhere, but if  were to I include them in the bibliography/references section, I may be giving the impression that I have read them.

How should I point to these works that I do not need to read, but that some readers of my work might be interested in reading? I know the answer might depend on the citation format I'm using or the type of publication. But I haven't seen any explicit indications for doing this kind of citation.

Thanks in advance for your help.

You skim those papers to verify that the data is indeed there and then you cite them as a source of the data. If you have the time or they are otherwise relevant, read the papers to figure out that the data is suitable for your purposes and there are no glaring problems there.

Sometimes, everyone cites something because everyone else has been doing so, but the citation might be wrong (in detail or completely).

An explicit citation is useful, because it lets you and others verify the result.
Checking that the cited paper includes what you suppose it includes is even more helpful, since it might just be a rumour that the thing is included there.
Reading more of the paper would be even more useful, since it might have qualifications that have been omitted by the citing literature, or methodological issues, or whatever else. Mentioning these with the citation would be good.
Some papers that cite the original might contain errata, important qualifications, etc. Hence, it might be worthwhile to check what cites the classical papers, especially if there is something by the same author(s) on the same idea.

I think all of the steps above increase the value of the work, but all of them also take time. Up to you to decide where to cut off the process and how far to go in vetting the data-to-be-used.

But consider also the next new (PhD) student who would like to use the same data? What would you like to have known or had when using it? If it was non-trivial to track down the data, then certainly provide a reference, for example, so that the next generation will have an easier time.


How to ask for expanding scholarship duration from grad school? I am a second year masters student who studies mathematics and this is my third semester. I found my advisor at the middle of second semester. My college offers scholarship for grad students which includes tuition, housing and some monthly stipend. I am supposed to finish my masters in 2 years, after that they cut out the scholarship benefits. Now, I would like to ask for one more semester before my graduation. The reason is, I want to write a qualified thesis and during that time, I need a house to stay, and some stipend to make a living.

I think that these reasons are enough, however, I heard that the college science does not support students after 2 years in general. So, what can I do about it? What else can I say? Thank you.

My department offers full fellowships (tuition + stipend, healthcare is publicly funded in the country) to most academic Master's students. They are all limited to two years. The department does not have the ability to extend the scholarship, nor does the university.

That being said, it happens that some students take longer than 2 years to defend (it's an academic Master's, so it's generally expected that the students will have published/submitted at least one or two papers before they graduate). In those cases, the remaining months are fully funded by the advisor, usually in the form a research assistantship from a grant that is directly related to the student's Master's project.

However, if you were at my institution, your request for an extension would sound naive and borderline preposterous and arrogant. An extension is something that occurs organically as you show that you are doing good work and need the extra time to finish and polish your thesis. This is not something that is requested as soon as you start doing research. If your advisor/university is going to invest more money on you, you must demonstrate that you are worth the money and have a good motive not to have finished your thesis in time. Writing a "qualified" thesis is, I'm sorry, a terrible excuse.

The least awkward way to approach anyone about this is to ask about the possibility of (and not demand!) an extension once you are more acquainted with your advisor. A good way to approach them about this issue would be by leading a conversation like this:

  As you know, I have been studying the effect of wheel geometry in the
  performance of hamster-powered supercomputers. I demonstrated that
  heart-shaped meshes are very efficient, but as you know, that's the
  expected result, given that hamsters tend to work harder in the
  presence of love-displaying figures. I think that it would be very
  promising to investigate whether plastic or steel wheels are more
  efficient. If we demonstrate that plastic wheels are just as good as
  steel, we could see a significant cost reduction in hamster-powered
  supercomputers, and would certainly yield a very impactful paper. But
  as you know, that would require 3D printing the wheels, which would be
  very time-consuming, and would likely require more time than the four
  months I have left. I will start working on the plastic wheels as soon
  as possible, but if more time is necessary to finish the experiments,
  do you think it would be possible to grant me a fully funded extension
  of a few more months so that I can finish the last experiments and,
  hopefully, write the paper?

All of that is, of course, assuming that the possibility of getting a funded extension even exists.


Literature search engine including citation count, year, and the conference presented at When I am searching for literature on a particular topic, I'd like to see a list of results together with three main pieces of information: citation count, year, and publication venue (i.e., conference or journal name). In my field (Computer Science), most papers are published in conferences. The conference name is an easy way to assess at a glance: (i) the general area the paper falls into (systems, theory, programming languages, etc.) (ii) the quality of the contribution (higher-tier conferences are associated with higher quality research). Citation count also helps to assess (ii), but is less effective for more recent or more obscure papers.

My question: Is there a literature search tool (software or website) that can be used to provide citation count, year, and conference in a list of results?

Tools I have tried: I currently use Google Scholar (it provides citations favors highly cited articles when returning search results), but it usually does not provide conference information correctly (this may be because it gets cut off). For example, it lists a paper of mine from "LIPIcs-Leibniz International..." and makes it hard to identify the conference, which is "International Conference on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP)". In contrast, DBLP is designed specifically for Computer Science, so it does a good job of telling me the conference; however, it does not list citation count.

If it is possible to fix the result list with Google Scholar so that it provides the conference information more helpfully, that could be an answer to my question as well.

As commented by Jon Custer, Web of Science has information about citations, conference and publication year in its database and shows it in the results of a search. You can even filter and sort by citations and publication year. Unfortunately, Web of Science is a commercial service and your institution needs to have an agreement with Clarivate Analytics (the provider of Web of Science) to grant you access to the database.


Having students grade each other on group projects? I'm planning to have my students do a group project this semester. What are the pros and cons of having them rate how well their groupmates contributed to the project?

This can go well if you do it right. Undergraduates don't like to "tell on" their friends, so it needs to be a bit subtle. If you just ask for grades or points, they will uniformly give high points. Alternatively, if they think someone was slacking they will be pretty savage. But there is a way.

In a group of about five, ask each student (a) who were the most important 3 contributors to your project - including yourself, and (b) what was the nature of their contribution that makes you say that. You also need to ask each student to detail their own most important contribution.

You will learn a lot from this. If someone is never mentioned, you know they didn't contribute much but no one has to actually say that.

I've had situations in which a student that I thought was a bit of a slacker was praised by several of his teammates for keeping the group working on the problem.

Note that this method also permits students to contribute in different ways, not just technical contributions.

Giving a self-assessment is also important here as you get a sense whether they have a realistic view.

If the groups are only pairs, then just ask each member what was the most important contribution of the partner and what was your own most important contribution. Let them write a few sentences of explanation.

Of course, you will need to translate the comments to marks as you aren't asking the students to do that. They are likely to do it poorly in any case. In all but extreme cases you can just give everyone the same grade for the project as the contributions might be different, but each might be valued in its own way.


University learning over online learning What are some advantages of learning on-campus that one does not get from learning online?

It’s the "unknown unknowns" that are covered on campus.
Other people and casual discussions with classmates can highlight gaps in your knowledge that you didn’t even realise you had, or help you avoid mistakes you didn’t realise were possible. Even just listening to the tutor answer questions from others can help a lot. Tutors are not infallible even in terms of course content, and sometimes a simple question can point to a syllabus area that should be covered more in depth.

Posting in online forums in the knowledge that your rookie mistakes could be immortalised forever means that people can be slightly more reserved about posting a questionable question (or even a slightly questionable answer that may well get full marks in an exam, but the answerer is just a little unsure) and some distance learning course forums can quickly become ghost towns of hopelessly dated information.


What are the financial offer or opportunities for international PhD students in US and UK? I'm an undergraduate student in Physics and Mathematics, who plans to do a PhD in Physics or Mathematics. I know when you are doing a PhD, you can be a TA or RA if it is provided, so that you can handle financial issues or you could be accepted into the PhD program with funding or scholarship (I don't remember the correct term) but what about loans or any other financial support for international PhD students in US and UK?

By the way, if it any helps, wherever I go for PhD, I will take their citizenship, at least apply, since I have no intention going back to Turkey.

A side question: Apart from the loans, what is the general procedure for financial offer from the universities? I mean how does it work?

Note: I'm from Turkey.

In the US, financial aid from the US government under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (student loans, Pell grants, and work study) is available only to US citizens and permanent residents (and a small number of other categories of people who have some permanent status in the US.)  Generally, foreign graduate students aren't eligible for this kind of aid.

Typically, individual academic departments make decisions on who to admit and who to offer teaching/research assistantships.  If a department decides to offer you admission with an assistantship, you'll typically receive an offer letter from the institution describing the aid in detail.


How many journals can one follow at the same time? I have been following 7 journals at the same time for may be about 10 years now. 4 of them are relatively unpopular and publish may be about 50 papers per year, so they are easy to follow, 1 has 100+ papers so it sometimes requires an effort to read about everything they publish but the other 2 are very popular and publish biweekly full issues with dozens of papers, so it is painful to follow them and I need to look at their webpages to see what is new almost every day. However, I'm interested in a field where I always need to look for papers outside of it and have to browse many journals irregularly to find possibly interesting information. That means I browse through dozens of journals irregularly and have to look through literally thousands of papers. And, oh God, it takes its toll. But the REAL problem is that my requirements only get broader with time, so I now can't just keep on. I think there are really too many journals and too many papers in them to browse through and I can't even manage to read through all the titles of all the papers that could potentially interest me, let alone read the abstracts.

This is why I would like to try to find someone who has similar problems and ask him/her how does s/he manage to solve them, e.g. what does it take to browse the maximum number of journals possible as far as search optimization, number of journals covered and time are concerned? Is it possible to cover a wide field and follow everything it happens in it so you could be aware of the new papers published in dozens of journals or is this simply impossible? I want to know how far can I get and how much time would the effort consume, so, if you could share with me your experience I would be very thankful.

Thank you very much!

Use a content manager and subscribe to the journals' RSS feeds.

I currently follow ~30 journals and a few blogs (this number changes dynamically as I remove some journals and include others) using feedly, which is a RSS reader that is very user-friendly and has apps for both Android and iOS. The software automatically fetches new content from the journals' latest issues and makes them available to me in real time. My daily feed is usually comprised of ~50 new papers every day. I devote 15-30 minutes of every morning to going through it--except on some weekdays when journals like Nature and Science release an entire issue. Going through the feed includes reading all titles, identifying potentially relevant papers, reading their abstract and saving them to my Mendeley library. Some people keep track of new papers through Mendeley alone, though I prefer feedly.


What is a good length for the statement of purpose in a U.S. PhD application? Certain schools give you specific details about their statement of purpose. For example a maximum of a certain number of words, double spaced, two pages maximum, etc. If a school does not provide any of the above-mentioned details, what would be a good lenght in terms of number of words to engage the admission committee? Is a single space statement of purpose too compressed, or is it acceptable?

I know that brevity and conciseness are important, but I find it hard to fit all the information they want in a one page. And I have to list relevant experiences, future goals, research interests, and which people I would like to work with in the department.

Depending on the program I would keep it between 1.5 to 2 pages.  I framed mine to answer the following questions:

Why am I applying to this school.
What are my research interests.
Previous academic accomplishments.
Previous professional accomplishments.
Personal story of triumph (optional, I talk about having to drop out of high school to support my family)
What is your goal after graduation.

Addition:

I would also target schools that are pumping out the research that matches with your interests... this will help when you are stating why you are applying like:

  A major factor in helping me choose Awesome University was Professor Awesome's research on being awesome.  I feel that this aligns well with my research interests, and would make for a great fit between me and the department.

Also, if you talk about any abstract ideas be sure to elaborate on them to give a level of specificity.  They want to see you be able to translate abstract ideas into specific thoughts.


Admission to graduate school for physics I am a dual major (Math+Physics) student from one of the reputed Indian University. I want to peruse PhD in physics (mainly theoretical/High Energy Physics). I have CGPA 9.6/10 in Physics but overall (Math+Physics) CGPA is 8/10.
How do I improve my CV to get into good grad school in US/Germany etc?
Any helpful comments/answer are welcome and thanks for that.

I cannot tell you what to do, but it might be worth observing that your written documents at most give an initial impression of "who you are", and that the graduate program will be able to reflect on that initial impression if they are so fortunate as to meet you in person.  Presumably you will have reflected on what information you believe is most relevant to the admissions committee.  To some extent, this might include your perspective on physics (or science more generally), mathematics, the position or role of academia in society, and/or what sort of behavior or personal growth you believe you could sustain over the course of your graduate career, and as much evidence (or more typically a 'clue' to where evidence can be found) is needed to support your claims.  If you are familiar with the basic rules of bridge, it might help to think of your academic goals or dreams as the bid, the admissions committee as your partner, and the limits of your permanent record, ease or effectiveness of respectful collaboration, and/or extempore knowledge (that you might also have an opportunity to share, gracefully, during a visit or interview) as your "opponent".  If you want the strongest possible cross section with the interest of teleologically relevant programs, try to pack as much teleologically relevant and easily verifiable information about yourself as possible.


Is there a difference between "in review" and "under review" I recently submitted a paper to a Management journal, usually if the manuscript is in the review process, it shows "under review".

This time, once upon submission the status turned "in review". I wonder why it turned like this right away and anyone has any idea if there is actually a difference?

A wild guess, but since you just submitted it, maybe it means that the editor/staff is checking to see if the paper fits the theme of the journal.


What does "tenure" mean? I often find academics with tenured bracketed beside their position. What is meant by a tenured position? Is this different from a permanent teaching position?

In short, tenure means that you cannot be fired (you have a very permanent position).  For more details, look at this question:
In practice, how secure is a tenured position in the US?  In particular, look at the first link in the first answer to that question, which is an article in Science that talks about the role of tenure.


Is it normal for things to be so cutthroat, and what to do about it? I am a postdoc in mathematics. I like doing math, but I do not feel like I belong to a community, in the true sense of the word.

My vision of mathematical research is that it should be a massive collaborative effort to solve puzzles and publish the solutions, and no one should be excluded without a good reason. Also people should be allowed to openly talk about each others' results objectively without any feelings hurt.

However, in my field, people seem to see research as a competition. They form factions and play the game of inclusion-exclusion and loyalty matters more than truth, so does pride and it is almost impossible to be sure if an error is an error in a paper without making enemies.

People also treat knowledge as private property (within their factions or to oneself) and tend to keep secrets.

There are two types of secret-keeping generally practiced in my field:

When working on a project one would avoid talking about what they are working on and what are the partial results etc. in fear of being scooped.
When the work is done one should avoid proper exposition in the paper or explanation to the public so that:

they can stay ahead in the competition
they can make their results look as non-trivial as possible.

As much as I do not want to force people to disclose their secrets, I value clear explanations and talking to people about my work in progress. But as I do not belong to any faction I seem to be taking a huge risk on my career in doing so.

The fact that everyone is expecting secret-keeping also makes me reluctant to work with them because I do not want to sign an invisible NDA and unwittingly make enemies when I discuss with others on joint projects (and it is hard to set a boundary on discussion). This is not particularly helpful to my current state of isolation.

Perhaps it is just my field that has an environment incompatible with my belief, or perhaps all this is considered normal in any field. Nevertheless do you think this is a good reason for me to seek a different career path than academia?

Is it feasible to make a career doing open research?

Reality is very complicated. It is not one way or the other, often a mixture, and lots of judicious decision-making is required. Some environments are nicer than other, some people more trustworthy than other. If atmosphere disturbs you, choose your environment and the people to suit your taste, there are more pleasant subfields than others.

Careers do depend on individual success, so you cannot just plainly discount people trying to keep their ideas for themselves until they are ready to capitalise on that - success, as measured by hiring committees, is individual, not collective.

Yes, a fully open community is a bit like communism - great if it works, but usually works only to a commune of a limited size, or if the work to be done cannot hope to progress more than differentially faster than the community as a whole  and also if there are no "bad apples" who do not play ball and prey on the goodwill of the group.

That being said, you can encounter very friendly communities, but if that is a priority for you, you need to include that into your criteria for choosing a research topic.


Has the reaserch on the back cover of journal been benefitial for you or your group? You can highlight your article and the work of your group on the back cover of ----Name of journal from RCS-----, if you are interested in this opportunity please contact me for more information

Have you ever got this offer from above mention publisher ( or in general ) and can it be beneficial for visibility of your research? Is there any scientific evidence ( publication ) that backcover brings more readers and attention to your work? or this is just atempt of publishers to capitalise on scientist ego?

Well I believe no one can prove the answer is strictly yes or no. It depends on the Journal, the topic we are working on and the amount of people who are getting these copies (and who are these people). But I believe in some fields (e.g. industrial applications) it may attract attention.

  Is there any scientific evidence ( publication ) that back cover brings more readers and attention to your work?

Yes there are studies on this topic. Check this one (Though, it proves the opposite): Does A Paper Being Featured on The Cover of A Journal Guarantee More Attention and Greater Impact?

On the other hand Wiley believes:

  One of the best ways to showcase your work is with an eye-catching journal issue cover. After your article is accepted for publication, you can submit your idea for a cover image. Your suggestion may be featured in your article’s journal issue.

All in all, why not to try it once and see the results!


What to do if my professor won't give me a grade for a test? So I took this online class and the professor didn't grade our exams till the end of the semester and I was surprised to learn that I got a 0 on the first one. Now I remember taking this test and while I may not have gotten a perfect score, I don't think I did bad enough to deserve that grade. So I talked to him about it and he said he has a couple of blank scantrons and can't figure out which is which so he gave a couple of us a 0 instead. The thing is, the testing center at my college won't let you turn in a test unless everything has been filled out and I'm 100% sure that I didn't knowingly take the test without putting my name on it.

What do you think I should do? He also mentioned in the middle of the semester about losing his laptop or something like that, do you think he's lying about the blank scantrons to cover up the fact that he may have lost them and won't take responsibility for it? I was talking to him through email yesterday and now he won't respond. It really hurt my grade and he won't do anything about it. I NEED HELP!

In my assessment, the professor acted somewhat negligently here. (Albeit maybe not lying).

I find it odd that he claims that he had a few blank scantrons without names, so he just gave people 0 points on the test. Really? He doesn't even have the presence of mind to email students and ask if there had been a mistake? This seems incredibly lazy. (Not to mention the fact that he waited until the end of the semester to grade the tests). I'm not sure it would be too far beyond the call of duty for him to have at least email students to verify if what he is seeing is correct. I would have done this for students I have, especially if they were turning in the homework and completing other assignments.

I do wonder how in the world your testing center would return blank scantrons to a professor. At every school I have ever taught at or attended, the testing center produced scantrons with student names computer printed on the top. And the testing center always scored the scantrons. Does this professor have his own scantron reader?

Moreover, every testing center I have ever interfaced with kept records. Surely your university keeps digital records of which students have taken the test, right? I'm pretty sure my undergrad institution kept computer-based testing center records even in 1996.

As Buffy says, I would stay away from accusing the professor of being a liar. But make this professor account for testing records recorded by the testing center. I'm of the opinion that this is actually part of his job description (implicit or otherwise).


Is having my essays proofread inappropriate? English is not my first language. My pronunciation and grammar are not perfect. I tried to write an essay in my own words. After that I asked for help from my friend to proofread the essay.

She told me I’m cheating to have someone help in this way, because when I submit the essay, the words and grammar will be different than what I wrote (the first version of the essay has too much incorrect grammar). That’s why she will report me.

I don’t think I am wrong because the tutorials in every school are still using proofreaders to help students.
The instructor just said that we should be using sources from class to do the essay, and to cite any other sources. The policies don’t say that I can’t use proofreading.
So what do I have to do? Will the report affect me in the future?

The only correct answer is to ask your instructor.

As a general rule though, proofreading is encouraged. In the professional world, proofreading (or copy editing) is a normal part of scholarship because the goal is to make the final paper as neat and polished as possible.

Sometimes it is appropriate to cite help you have had with a paper. If there is legitimate contribution and collaboration, this is often done with giving co-authorship. If a specific idea is used, this is often in the form of a footnote. For proofreading, this is sometimes in the form of an acknowledgement; sometimes proofreaders are not recognized at all.

Unless your instructor specifically prohibited proofreading, this is not cheating/plagiarism.


How to organize my binder of activities for review of time as assistant professor? I am up for review and I must compile a lot of materials from my time as an assistant professor.  Everything has to be submitted in hard copy in a binder.  I would like to make it as easy as possible for the committee to read.  I must submit the following:

A cover letter
A CV
List of all courses taught, along with syllabuses
My annual reports (about three pages per year)
Every student evaluation from every class taught
Lists of various activities that include scholarship, professional development, and service.

I thought I would organize it so that each of the categories above would get their own tab in the binder. Each of the categories in (6) will get their own tab as well. My main concern is the evaluations from (5). I teach three or four classes per semester.  So, I have dozens of classes with evaluations. If I only give a single tab to all the evaluations, it would be hard to navigate. And, each class getting its own tab seems excessive. Is there a way to have (1) through (6) have tabs that are easy to pick out, while still maintaining some kind of sub-tab system for each semester?  Or, is there a better way to organize all this stuff?  Thanks.

I think that you had the right idea about having six tabs to organize each section. From there, I would have card stock paper (or something similar) to separate out your evaluations by semester. Have each semester labeled on each sheet. That will create a subtle yet efficient way of dividing out your evaluations.


Confusion between citation databases: how are they related? I have seen in some faculties that I have been visiting that they give more importance to some citation databases than to others. About this issue, I have some confusions. I prefer to open only one global question here that cutting it up into smaller chunks because I believe the things I will expose are related:

What is the importance that some journals are indexed in Scopus and some in Web of Science or Thomson Reuters? Does Scopus have a better reputation? I ask this because I saw one faculty that strive to put their publications only on journals and conferences indexed by Scopus.
Is there any relationship between Scimago and Web of Science?
I found in the following link:
http://www.thomsonscientific.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi
that a journal in which a colleague has gotten his article published that appears on this list, does it mean that journal is indexed by the Web of Science? Even though I have seen in the webpage of that journal that it does not mention Web of Science perse.

Any clarification of these citation databases would be a huge help to me. The field that I am working on is Computer Science.

Web of Science is probably marginally more selective; Scopus is a little broader (I routinely get higher numbers of hits in Scopus for comparable searches). My understanding is that Scopus has also made a deliberate attempt to increase its coverage of conference proceedings, which would mean more significant coverage in those disciplines which are very conference-oriented - ie engineering and computer science - but I'm not a CS specialist so please don't take that as gospel. "Only on Scopus" may be a deliberate nod to this, or it may simply be that that institution subscribes to Scopus and not WoS!
No, they are not connected. Web of Science is based on the "Science Citation Index", but this is not connected to SCImago.
Thompson Reuters were the owners of the Web of Science product. (They sold it recently and it's now owned by Clarivate Analytics, an independent firm not part of any of the major publishers). Web of Science contains a number of distinct databases; the link you give there is a 404, but it looks like it would be some subset of this list. It probably indicates that the journal will be found in at least some part of the Web of Science product, though I believe not all institutions subscribe to all parts of the service. (You can always plug the journal into Web of Science and see what comes up...)


What are the impacts on learning of allowing students to eat in class? My school has a recommendation, but not a requirement, not to let students eat during class. I am wondering if I should make this a rule or not for the classes I teach. I am concerned about my undergraduate students.

On one hand, the noise from rustling bags and crunching chips and bottles falling on the floor can be distracting. On the other hand, hungry students are distracted by hunger. This is a particular problem for my classes which start before 8 AM as students often skip breakfast and want to eat it during class (because they do not want to wake up early enough to eat before coming to school).

Since my main concern is on the learning, I would like to know how the issue of allowing eating during class actually impacts student learning.

Most of the answers here suggest limiting or prohibiting eating in the classroom, but I have to disagree.

First, students generally do not control their own schedules.  Personally, I often had five or six hours of class back-to-back as an undergrad, and I was not unusual in that regard.  Yes, there are breaks between classes, but students need that time to get to the next classroom.  In addition, many professors let their class go overtime, reducing the length of the break.  If you prohibit eating, hungry students will simply choose to arrive late after getting a snack, which defeats the idea of minimizing disruptions by prohibiting eating.

Second, you don't know what medical issues a particular student has: they may be diabetic or need to eat at regular intervals for other reasons.  While a student can tell you about this at the start of the term, I don't like the idea of forcing students to discuss their medical issues with every professor, every term.  After all, students who get special classroon accommodations due to a disability are not obliged to tell their professors what the specific disability is.

For these reasons, if the university does not have a specific policy, I would tend to be lenient at first.  Most students are reasonable people who won't show up to class with a five course dinner.  If a specific concern arises during the term, such as very noisy food or garbage being left behind, you can address it either with the individual student or the class as a whole, as appropriate.


Is using other's survey questions verbatim considered a plagiarism I liked the questions on various surveys I examined. Rather than paraphrasing, I want to copy some of them directly, and use them in my survey, which is required for my dissertation.

What do you suggest to me, should I cite them or put in quotes, which I believe would be too awkward.

Perhaps, it's somewhat dependent on the field, but, AFAIK, in social sciences this situation is very typical. Nobody places questions in quotes, of course, however, a set of questions (questionnaire), which is usually referred to as an instrument, is cited. Such an approach is usually applied, when researchers use some reasonably well-known or validated instruments, or, at least, the ones from peer-reviewed studies. They are placed in appendices and are cited, based on guidelines of the publication style used in the paper in question.


Seeking career advice on transitioning to work/postdoc in a new country after a PhD Hello Academia community,

I am a soon-to-be holder (next week) of a PhD in zoology (mammalian biomechanics). Following my graduation, I would like to move to the UK. Ideally, I would like to continue my research in a postdoc position. However, I would not mind taking up non-academic work, in a relevant field, if possible.

Probably, I need to clear some things up:

Why move? I currently live in Greece. Working conditions are terrible, and funding is scarce. As a postdoc researcher, if I successfully get a position, I can expect a salary of ~600 euros a month (it is hard to live on this budget, and impossible to live relatively comfortably). There are incredible limitations in research expenses as well, and my work requires some high-tech equipment. Plus, huge uncertainty for my future.
Why the UK? I will be making the move with my girlfriend. This is very important to me - perhaps more important than my work. She works in education, and is fluent in English, therefore the limitation. I have had suggestions to apply in other European countries, but I am not seriously considering.
What actions have I taken so far? I have been invited to apply for a Newton fellowship by a lab I have contacted. However, getting the fellowship is highly uncertain. I have also applied to some openings for Lecturers in zoology in various universities, but I think it is highly unlikely I will get one without a postdoc. Other than this, nothing.
What are my qualifications? My PhD project has gone quite well. I have 8 (soon to be 9, hopefully) papers published or accepted for publication in some of the best journals in zoology. I have a Masters in biological anthropology, from a very prestigious university in the UK, and a Bachelors in biology from a university in Greece. Apart from this, I only have limited work experience in conservation research (<6 months).

I am in a very stressful place right now, due to the uncertainty and the lack of current employment - I expect to be unemployed in the near future, unless I get a job in the tourist industry for this spring/summer season. This might seem strange to some, but my qualifications mean next to nothing due to the high unemployment rates here.

Thus, the question.

What should my next step be?
How should I approach the move?

I was considering writing to relevant departments in universities, zoos, natural history museums, etc.

Should I do this, even if they do not advertise positions
Should I ask for postdoctoral employment or let them now I am fine with working in other, less specialised positions as well?
What outcome should I expect from this?

Anyway, I am open to any suggestions, and hope to learn from your experience. Please ask me for more information, if you need any.

First let me express my sympathy for having to endure the brutalization Greece has been undergoing by Capitalism generally, and the EU, Germany and the banks particularly. It saddens me to learn that academics have to move out across the globe to avoid material want.

My background for the sake of this answer: I'm a post-doc in Europe, and I moved out of my country a while after concluding my PhD. I differ from your case in that I'm in Computer Science, and I worked in industry for 3 years between my PhD and my post-doc; and my current research does not continue what I did in my PhD.

To the point, though:

The fact that you only speak English (in addition to Greek) should not dissuade you from considering moving elsewhere. This is true even for your girlfriend, but is definitely true for you as an academic. Academia is much more accommodating to people who don't speak the local language (although I guess it might not be as cosmopolitan in Zoology as it is in Comp Sci; can't say for certain).

Specifically, some European cities have large numbers of expatriates,  patriated immigrants, or migrant/guest workers, who don't speak the local language - and the most common language they're likely to use is English. Plus, you have Greek expat communities in a bunch of places. So Britain is not at all your only option. As an extreme example, I live in Amsterdam, at which - so I'm told - 1 in every 4 residents is not Dutch-born. Just tomorrow there's a large Expatriate fair.
With apologies to the British, I know that the UK has cut funding to academia tremendously over the past several years. In some places, entire departments are closing. I might be overstating this since I don't follow UK academic affairs much, but that's what the rumors say. Plus, now there's Brexit, so Britain is likely to lose access to some EU research budgets.
Try to find a place to work rather than a country or region. Figure out which universities, research centers, or zoos (?) have activities / research groups which you believe you could be part of, and apply to them. Yes, all of them, or at least many of them. Some will not reply, some will reject you outright, some will be indecisive, and some will interview you.

When you have one or more concrete job offers, your perspective will change quite a bit. You might decide not to accept, but at least you'll have a good idea of what you're giving up (which means you'll need a good idea of what you're giving it up for).
You're in a very stressful place right now, but realize that the fact that you're under stress is clouding your judgement and may lead you to the wrong choice. I remember how stressed out I was during my period of unemployment at the end of my PhD when I was no longer had the pseudo-salary (a.k.a. research stipend) coming in; and when I wasn't sure I would find work, and what kind, and thinking about my limited savings being eaten away every day. Not a fun experience. But - try to think about it this way: Suppose your future self has loaned your current self a relatively large sum of money. Now you have a(n imaginary) financial cushion; use it to be more patient and try to choose the best option for you and your spouse, career-and-life-wise. Granted, you can't know in advance what that ease, but you must allow yourself a bit of breathing space.

Remember that while moving to another country takes time and effort, and is quite stressful - if it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. I'm going to move on after my current post-doc to someplace else (haven't figured out exactly where yet). The second time you do you'll be a lot less stressed out than the first.
Another point regarding looking for employment: You need to contact specific researchers, as in people, no less, or even more, than sources of funding. And even if someone can't/won't hire you they're not unlikely to give you good advice.

On that note, have you talked to your PhD advisor? To faculty you've collaborated with on research? They could point you in some directions and/or put you in touch with their colleagues abroad (in Britain or elsewhere).
If you have more specific questions about life abroad as an expat, in the UK (you do mean Britain, right? Not North Ireland I'm guessing) - head over to expats.stackexchange.com which is another useful site on this network.
Have you thought about short/mid-term employment as a professional Zoologist or Biologist, rather than a researcher, outside of Academia? In the equivalent of what we in Engineering disciplines would call "the industry"? That's also a kind of an option.

That's what I got for now, I hope it helps.


Publication a prerequisite for PhD Programs I'm completing a master's in history (one year in), and am beginning to look at possible PhD programs. I have noted in a lot of forums that it looks really good if you have one (or several) publications to your name.

How does one even begin this process? Also, with coursework and the thesis writing process having just begun, how do graduate students find time to write and attempt to publish original work in addition to the aforementioned obligations?

Publication is not a prerequisite for PhD programs. To be specific, the only requirements for a PhD program are those published by the particular university department in the official degree catalog.

But having your name on some published articles before applying for PhD programs, and including your publications as part of your "pitch," sure makes for a more competitive application.

To get started doing research, talk to your advisor, faculty members whose research areas are similar to yours, look at research assistant positions (anywhere, not just at your school), and so on. Most importantly, define some questions that you want to research, dig into the literature, and just get started on your own. Then let your rough investigation be a conversation starter with local and other faculty.


How to politely decline an interview for a PhD program? I've applied to three US universities (A, B, C) for PhD programs. Universities A and B offered me interviews on two separate weekends, which I accepted. I then made travel arrangements with Universities A and B for interviews.

I was then offered an interview with University C on the same date as my University A interview. I asked C for an alternate date, which happened to be the same weekend as my interview with B. I informed C of this and gave them a list of dates that I was free to interview but was told that those were the only two dates possible at University C.

I asked A and B about changing my interview date but was told that I could not since travel arrangements had already been made (through the university/a university-sponsored travel agency).

Universities A and B are both higher on my list than University C, so I've decided to decline University C's interview.

How can I do this politely? I don't want to burn any bridges with University C.

Related question: What should be done about conflicting invitations for graduate school interviews?

They seem to have all the facts already. Just tell them that you had already made travel arrangements to visit A and B on the dates that C wanted you to come out, and that you have to regretfully decline to come to C. They're not going to be mad at you.


Is it bad if I don't feel like an impostor? I started graduate school recently. A professor was talking about impostor syndrome and said that everyone goes through it. They made a joke saying that if you don't feel like an impostor, something is wrong.

Well, I certainly don't feel like an impostor. I'm doing well in my studies and a professor even said that I'm doing "outstanding".

So, is there something wrong with me that I feel confident in my abilities?

This professor was just trying to reassure the folks who are feeling doubtful or worried.

Bottom line: if you feel worried about something, that's okay, it's a common phenomenon, and feeling that way is nothing to worry about; if you don't feel worried about something, great!  No need to feel worried!


Not enough recommendation letters I would like to apply for a postdoc position or an academic position like  an assistant professor. Before I had three persons who could write letters of recommendation for me in case I needed to apply for a job. Unfortunately I had a conflict with one of these persons who wrote a letter for me and he/she has decided to not to write a recommendation letter for me anymore. I am left with only two people who can write letters for me. Since most of job applications require at least three reference letters, I do not know where to find the third person to write the letter for me. Any suggestion? If I submit my application with only two letters, will it be rejected as incomplete? Is it a bad sign if I send only two letters in those cases where are requested at least three or more?

If I submit my application with only two letters, will it be rejected as incomplete?

Yes, probably.  That is what the word "required" means.  It is possible that some employers might consider the application anyway, or perhaps give you more time to submit a third one, but many will not.

They want to make sure they are getting a range of opinions on the candidate's qualifications, to reduce the chance that they are just hearing from one or two biased people writing inaccurate letters.

  Is it a bad sign if I send only two letters in those cases where are requested at least three or more?

Yes.

So you should try harder to find a third person to write a letter.  We have lots of questions on this site about how to find letter writers.  For instance, you can tell your other two writers about the situation, and ask if they have any ideas.


What should I do if I have published a paper that I did not write? To start with, let me confess a sin that I have committed a few years ago. A friend of mine asked me to proofread several of his papers before sending them for publication. After helping him several times without expecting anything in return, he offers to included me as one of the authors of another paper after I proofread it. Being immature and greedy, I have accepted the offer, which is a great mistake. Later the paper was published and I was listed as one of the authors of the paper, and I understand nothing about the paper itself. Now I am facing the mistake that I have made and have decided to do something about it.

Should I always exclude the paper from my resume? Although I was officially listed as one of the authors, I do not feel that I contributed to any part of the paper except proofreading.
Is there anything else that I should do about this situation?

Be sure to never do this again.

I think it's reasonable to remove the paper from your CV and forget about it. Otherwise, people are definitely  going to ask you about it in interviews.

Other than that I don't think there's much you can do to remedy this.


Job Market: should one hide their (young) age? I am a 23 year old cis-woman in sociology. I entered college at 16 and grad school at 19. The program is in the US, so it is a five year program with a Masters along the way.

I have been reading a lot of advice about going on the academic job market (starting this year, ABD but with complete draft). Despite all my searching, there is one topic that I cannot find anything on: indicating or revealing one's age. I would never volunteer this information (like how women are especially aware not to reveal parental or marital status), but I am worried about accidentally dating myself with a comment. Would it be particularly bad? Would a committee be more impressed or wary? Any advice or insights would be appreciated.

If you have well regarded publications and some demonstration of teaching experience at the collegiate level, your age may not be of significant concern to hiring committees. If I was a 45 year old on the hiring committee, is there really that much of a difference to me between a 23 year old and a 27 year old? (Okay, yes, there could be a difference. But how much? Some of that difference would amount to life experiences like graduating college, experiences you already will have attained, just at an earlier date).

Long story short, hiring committees are used to hiring new colleagues that are "young" and fresh. Being 23, 24 years old is likely not a point of concern.

I will add this: Anecdotally, many of the people I have run into in academia that are very young for their academic age (e.g. 19 year olds getting a PhD) have not gained the soft skills necessary for actually being a college professor. You can have a PhD and still have no clue how to deal with the guy who's 5 years your senior being a discipline issue in class. I know that when I was a graduate student in my early 20s and teaching classes, some students took advantage of my being very young. This is not to say this is your case. As long as you can demonstrate that you can be a mature instructor of a college class (letters of recommend and teaching ratings can speak to that), you will be fine. (And frankly, at 23, 24 years of age, you should be fine). Being a mature teacher is something that every hiring committee will look for anyway.


Is it wise to mention any personal struggle in a statement of purpose (for doctrate program)? If there is a gap in my CV, or perhaps an anomaly due to some personal struggle, is it worth explaining the situation? Or just not saying anything in the SOP?

If one was perhaps wrongfully accused or terrorism/murder or suffered depression? which forced them to take a year out.

On one hand it can demonstrate resilience on the other hand it might be negative.

I think a quick examination of human psychology suggests that being specific about this stuff is a terrible idea.  Even people who want to be neutral would associate you with murder (unfairly, of course).  Better to never put the idea in their head.


What should a PhD student do when he receives no feedback on his work except some reviews on his papers? I am consistently facing this issue: NO one (except some reviewers when I submit a manuscript) provides me with a detailed/core criticism of my PhD work.

My supervisor usually gives me general advice; sometimes he tries his best to understand and propose some trial-and-error approaches for the problem (most often I have tried these approaches before he proposes them). I simply cannot find someone who will smack me on the face and tell me the truth about my research.

After chatting with another PhD student, I found he has the same issue. However, he told me it is because PhD students have very specialised knowledge on a particular topic that makes it very hard – even for supervisors – to comment on it in a detailed manner. Well I still can't believe that's true in general.

So:

  What should you do when you can't find smack-on-the.face feedback?

My first reaction is: why do you need a smack in the face? Research education aims to educate PhD students to become independent researchers able to perform research, publish it, write applications for new research supervise new PhD students etc. Once you pass the PhD defence the only smack in the face you get is when your papers are rejected, your funding application is rejected etc. Towards the end of a PhD it is normal that your knowledge in your topic stretches farther than that of your advisor. From this perspective, a smack in the face is not the most obvious test of your progress.

I can understand if you feel you do not receive feedback on your work. In an ideal situation you should be able to discuss your science and use such feedback to improve. Your advisor should be able to read your manuscripts and provide feedback and suggestions on how to improve it before publication (or if your write a monograph, before you defend). Now all advisor-students relationships are different since we deal with personalities. To some extent one need to adapt and find ones own way in that relationship, I know this from my own experience.

So although your situation is perhaps not ideal, it does not sound as it is truly problematic. It sounds like you get more feedback than you can expect after your PhD. If you need specific feedback on any part of the research process, you should look around to see if any other persons can provide such. For PhD students getting papers past peer review is the hardest hurdle to cross and as such the sign of the worth of your research. Most advisors try to help students reach this level so the worst smack in the face they consider is the dreaded rejection. If you get your material past peer review, you are really doing (perhaps more than) fine.


Description of developed algorithm as part of method or result section? Writing my master thesis about the "Development and Assessment" of an algorithm, I'm wondering where the in-depth description of the individual modules of the algorithm and their functions belongs. Right now, the method section contains this part along with the metrics and scenarios used to evaluate its performance.

But is the developed algorithm not actually a part of the results?
Would it maybe work if I break the method section apart, as such:

Intro
Algorithm
Evaluation
Results

...

The algorithm isn't part of the results. The results are what you learned from the project - the knowledge. In this case it would be the analysis of the performance on the specified problem. The algorithm is what you built to get the results, not the results themselves.

But with the current outline, it looks like you will have to put too much into the introduction. You need to describe, somewhere, the problem and current solutions and why you want a new algorithm. That seems like a lot for the intro. Likewise you need a conclusion putting the results in context.

Note that while most of your work may have been in developing the algorithm, that isn't the essence of your knowledge contribution. The essence is in why and how this was a good approach to a problem (properly quantified) in the first place.

For example, if I build a better garbage collector for, say, Ruby, the knowledge contribution is in how and why this approach is better than other GC systems, if, indeed, it is. But you can even get a thesis out of the work if you show that the approach, which seemed promising, in fact is worse, on some scale. It is the knowledge we require, not the software/algorithm.


Submit paper before or after going on holidays? Context: As PhD candidate, I'll have my first journal paper ready to submit around July 15th. My lab will be closed due to summer break for 5 weeks from July 23rd to August 29th. I will not work full-time during this break, and my supervisors/co-authors might not respond to their emails. Moreover, I won't be able to work (or maybe even to answer my emails) during the two last weeks of August, because of travel conditions.

Question: Would my potential lack of reactivity during this period depreciate my submission? In other words, should I submit my paper right before going on holidays, or should I wait until I return from vacations in order to be more reactive to reviewers comments?

I would recommend submitting, because there is a great degree of uncertainty in when you will receive a response, and even with a fast response, your allowed revision time will likely be long enough to extend beyond the vacation time in any case.  If things more unexpectedly quickly, you can ask for an extension and will likely face little problem in obtaining one.

If you do this, however, you have the following responsibilities:

Make sure that you at least monitor your email when you are around, so that you can respond if necessary.
In the two-week period when you will be unable to check your email, make sure you have a vacation auto-response message set up.


Would receiving an award from a recognised conference in the field boost my future academic career? I have been nominated for a community contribution award alongside another professor in our field, this nomination for serving our research community (scientific activities). The conference is established by the leaders of the field and well-respected professor who nominated me.

This award is the for the first time in the history of the conference, I asked the professor who is also nominated alongside me, he said that he willnot go due to his teaching schedule and I asked him whether this nomination means receiving an ward or not, he said he dosnot have any idea, which make me hesitated whether I should go for the conference in that case (if I go I will present our ongoing work and meeting peers and the leaders of the field).

In the other side, here our project director doesnot want me to go to the conference since I dont have a. publication eventhough the conference registered me as  staff( waived fees), my supervisor tried to persuade her, but she didnot want to support my travel from our project budget( very cheap expenditure though).

My question is: Should I persist on going to the conference and I dont know whether nomination means having an award or not in any way maybe would boost my academic career?

In the other side, do you think that my project coordinator refusing to supporting my travel although we explained I am going to (present poster/short paper+ oral presentation at well respected community+ award nomination) is a toxic behavior, actually, it is not the only action, she had many situation bothered me and I am only 7 months in the program, my supervisor is always afraid from her and thats worrying me so much, they didnot seem to support me that much and thats worrying, maybe this a red flag sign to consider other. opportunities or finding other place would support me,  what do you think (BTW I spoke with my supervisor, but he said he will try persuade her again, but it seems dissapointing that I am not appreciated and that is my gut feelings).

=====EDIT======
I contacted the organizer and he said the nomination is confidential, I dont know whether this answered my question to. him whether I am going to receive award or not

There are two issues here. The first is about whether getting nominated for the award is a good reason to go to the conference. The second is about the project coordinator here, and how to convince them that you should go (it sounds like you want to).

As to whether getting nominated is a good reason to go, it depends on how selective the award is. Were only a handful (5-10) students nominated? I would say that is then quite prestigious and you should include it on your CV, and it would be a good reason to attend. Also, will they be presenting the award (or announcing the nominees) at the conference? If so, it would be good for you to be there, in case you are awarded it.

I think you should specifically reach out to whoever is organizing this award and ask them if, since you are nominated, you should attend. That may also be a subtle way for them to tell you "please do make sure to attend", if they are planning to give you the award. You can also ask your supervisor to reach out on your behalf, if that would be more comfortable for you.

As to the project coordinator, she does seem difficult to work with, but we should not be too harsh, perhaps she is receiving a lot of pressure to be tight with the budget, it is not clear. Anyway, there are two things you can do here:

If you get confirmation from the organizer of the award that you are expected to attend, you can use this to pressure the coordinator to let you go.
Get the support of your advisor or another higher-up in your university, as appropriate. It sounds like your advisor is on your side, but afraid of the coordinator, and you are already getting your advisor to persuade the coordinator, which is good. If that is not enough, you basically need to find someone who has more influence than the project coordinator (someone who is their boss, or the equivalent) to get on your side. If you do that successfully, then they can talk to the coordinator and get them to agree to fund your travel.

It sounds very reasonable, given that you are nominated for an award, will present at a workshop, AND have already received funding (waived fees) for all except travel, so I hope you can attend. Good luck!


After my PhD how much salary should I expect as a professor of computer science? It's easy for me to find out salaries for tech-jobs but it seems Professor salaries are quite hush-hush. I really love to teach and would be more than willing to join academia. However, I may choose to work for a few years in the industry before doing so. But even for information sake it's really really hard to figure out a tenure and tenure track professor's salary. It's rude to just ask my professors/colleagues directly :P

I'm interested in knowing an 'expected' range for the following countries - preferably both state and private universities (Computer Science). I'm not sure if there is a difference between the MS/PhD faculty and BS/B.Tech/BE though, but it'd be great to highlight the same.

United States
Europe (Switzerland, Germany more preferable)
Australia/New Zealand
India/China

Intent of information - awareness to take a better decision on the 'money dimension'. Please don't get me wrong, I am not intending to take a job with the most money but if a faculty position pays USD $50,000 per annum after 5 years of intensive effort, I'd like to hold off for a while. If "it depends" then on what does it depend and after I satisfy those dependencies, what can/should I expect?

UPDATE: Just for clarification, I am on the verge of completing my PhD thus piquing my curiosity about the remuneration since it's difficult to ask your advisor or other faculty members. I have and mostly been asked to wait for infinity for the response, hence the question :) I just wanted to know so that I can take an informed decision when I'm at the crossroads of applying for academia vs industry. Please don't get me wrong. I DO NOT wish to undermine the value of a PhD. I'm genuinely curious and I personally enjoy every bit of my work and it's NOT ABOUT THE MONEY :)

For the United State, see http://cra.org/resources/taulbee/ for salary survey data in computer science.  Of course, as Suresh points out there's enormous variation.  The median salary for a tenure-track assistant professor in computer science at a US research university is about $90k, but some make quite a bit less.


how useful are solo papers? I have heard a few times that having single-author papers is good for your career.  I suppose this is because it shows you are capable of producing research on your own.  But I wonder if it is a double-edged sword.  Say you are early in your career and have only solo papers.  Does this also look bad because it suggests you are not good at collaborating?

EDIT: Just to make the perspective clear. Disciplines have varying authorship traditions. In many fields within the sciences, and where I come from, first name in an author list is first author (considered to have contributed most) and collaborative papers are the norm.

Any article where you are first author is "good" for you. Single author articles have become increasingly rare, at least in fields with which I am familiar. The reason is of course that science is rarely done by single persons but rather in groups. Where single author articles are still relatively common are in the form of review articles where a single author can collate and critically assess the state of affairs in for example a subfield.

Going back about 20-30 years, again in the afore mentioned for me familiar fields, single authorship was almost demanded from PhD students and older faculty would basically frown on co-authored articles. Now, single authorship almost carries something odd about it in the sense that one can wonder if the person does not know how to collaborate. The later is of course not a good view to express but it shows how much the views have turned.

So to conclude, writing a well-referenced paper in a high impact journal as first author takes precedence over single or multiple authorship today. I doubt many would look at single authorship as much better than first authorship on a co-authored article today.


How to benefit from unsubmitted thesis? I have completed a MSc thesis in image processing. But, I can't submit it yet as I don't have the money needed to finish my study. I still have 2 semesters left before graduation.

I implemented a research article so that I can verify its proposed theory and previously found result.

What can I do to make the best use of my thesis?

If the research is of sufficient quality, you can write papers and submit them for publication in peer-reviewed journals / conferences.

Check to see if your institution has specific rules about publishing material from a thesis.  Also, if your advisor or any other person made significant intellectual contributions to the work in the thesis, they may be entitled to co-authorship and you'll need their approval before submitting any papers.  (It is probably a good idea to consult with them anyway about whether the work is of appropriate quality, and what revisions should be made before publishing.)


Easier tracking of continuing professional development (CPD) I am required to report my CPD efforts every semester. This lead me this ask this question. However, I find myself spending more time than I would like just keeping track of what I have read.

I guess there is a natural trade off between "doing what you do" and "tracking what you do" but, at present, my time is quite constrained. In order to get more done, and to maintain my focus while doing it, I would like some way to automate the tracking of what I read.

I have been using Mendeley and like it quite a bit. It seems a natural for that software to be able to report what you have read in the past n-months but I do not see that. While I can see everything I have read, I cannot see everything I have read in the past 6 or even 12 months (I can, however, see what I have "added" but I might add an article today but only read it 8 months from now).

Is there anyway to make tracking what you read easier

This isn't exactly the same, but I think might be a useful solution for you as well: for things like tracking travel planning or publications in process, I maintain spreadsheets for myself that track both each item and the workflow for dealing with it in little chunks over a long period of time.  In each spreadsheet, I maintain one sheet per year, so that things don't become too crowded.  I then keep all of my key workflow charts open in the background, such that it takes me only about 15 seconds to tab over, make an entry, and return.

Something similar might work for you on tracking CPD.  Have a column for the items in you queue, another column for when you actually start reading it, and a third for when you finish reading it.  It's not automated, but it's lightweight enough that if you get in the habit of tracking, you should be able to do it with minimal time cost.


Advice on writing a research paper in a less time I am a PhD student works in theory of computer science. I am worried about the timing, I have taken in writing a one paper.In last semester, I have few ideas, I told those idea to my supervisor then he suggested me to write the paper. I have spent almost six months on writing this paper which involves correcting the solutions, idea's etc multiple times. In short I have spent one year on a problem( including identification and solving ). I am worried about the time it take to write a paper. I am wondering, Is it possible to write a research paper in a less time or it comes with experience. Please suggest some idea in order to save the time in the writing phase. I have asked my supervisor about this, he told me to be organised and plan the things in a better way. He also suggested me to write the things in flow means whenever start writing a paper write a page at one time.

I have tried few things on my own, whenever I write I keep a top researcher's paper infront of me and see how they phrase the sentence's.

Note that this was my first time, when i have written a paper completely.

Question : Advice on writing a research paper in a less time

I think this question is highly dependent on your personal writing and working style. I can give some suggestions, but some of them will not be a good fit for some people, and I may not list many suggestions that work well for others simply because they do not work for me (or have not occured to me).

You may not need to write one paper faster if you can work on multiple papers concurrently. If you start four projects and it takes you a year to write a paper for each project, then you are releasing a paper on average every three months even if in practice all four papers took a year. This works especially well when you have coauthors since there can be a lot of time spent waiting for feedback or work to be done by others, which you can spend working on another paper.
One of the smartest and most prolific people I know has been rumored to tell his graduate students "just write it". I take this to mean "get a rough draft on paper quickly even if it is an ugly rough draft." Even if you have a lot of editing to do, things will become easier going from a draft rather than a blank page.
Time off can be just as important as time on. The mind is a truly remarkable thing, and in my experience, it works on a multitude of problems subconsciously. After I write an outline or a rough draft of a section or a paper, I don't try to edit and polish it immediately. Instead, it can be better to set the project down for a few weeks and work on other things or get caught up in your every day life. If one returns to a paper with fresh eyes, they are going to do a lot more quality work in less time than if they try to think, write, and edit all in a short time span.
Find a place to work that works for you. Everyone is different here. Some people need absolute silence to the point where they wear earplugs in a quiet space. Personally, I thrive in relatively loud, chaotic places such as busy coffee shops. I can get into the groove much easier there than say a library or my office, so I use this when I am trying to write.

These are the only tips I can think of right now. If I think of any other tips, I may add to this list later.


Bad semester - Math PhD application I wanted to bring up an issue I faced recently and figure out how much my graduate school application will be affected by this.
For some background, I am a sophomore math major at a good public school. In the first semester of my second year(i.e Fall 2020), I faced many problems that led to a case of terrible depression. I ended up getting an F in an art history class and two Bs in Probability Theory and another math grad class. There were many other internet access issues piled onto the existing problems as well. It would be an exaggeration to say that I even participated in the class. I only submitted about half the assignments and got an average score on the final exams.
I had a 3.91 GPA in my first year taking the major upper-div math courses(Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis) and a graduate class in commutative algebra. I got all As in my math classes with one or two A-s in some unrelated classes.
In my second semester of my second year, I am trying my best to fix this issue. I will likely get 5 As this semester including 3 key math graduate classes. I think I'll maintain this streak in my third year as well. At this point, my GPA is around 3.5 . By the time I apply to graduate school, I can hope to get it to around 3.7-3.82. My math GPA will be higher than that. I am currently aiming to get into a good PhD program(say a top 20 program, very roughly). I already have some pretty good connections with some faculty who are quite renowned in their fields and may end up getting good letters. I may also have some research opportunities lined up within the next year. I also took the math subject GRE and did well on it.
Will I be penalized for the drop in grades that semester when it comes to graduate school applications? Many of the other factors(GRE, recommendation letters) look decent enough on paper for now except for my GPA. Most of the people I know who got into a math PhD program have a near-perfect GPA. It seems almost like a minimum requirement at this point.
I'd be especially glad to receive a response from someone very familiar with the math PhD admission process or another student who faced similar circumstances.

It is unlikely that a single bad semester will be decisive, given everything else, especially good letters. You aren't alone in stalling for the final semester, of course. If it is burn-out, then you need to deal with that explicitly as the overhang can be pretty bad as you start a new program. You need to start with a fresh and eager perspective.
But "top 20" is an incredibly narrow range of schools to apply to. I'd suggest, instead that you cover yourself by taking a broader attack against the full range of research (R1) institutions. There is a lot of competition as you note yourself.
And, other than the small effect on your GPA a failing grade in art history is unlikely to be a block for a mathematician. You do have to fulfill all graduation requirements, of course.

From your description, I've assumed this is the US.


How to make time to pursue research while employed as a part-time lecturer at two universities? Actually I have been working like a Computer Science lecturer, part time, in a couple of universities in my country. Main problem is that those universities are only worried in finances, but not in academic productivity. So that is why almost all the lecturers, my case included, are assigned only lecturing hours, but with no time to make research.

The main problem that I got is that love to make research. Sometimes I come with an idea, and it happened 3 times already, that because of the time I cannot write a paper; so that somebody else has published (in other country, of course) my main idea. I think the phrase "publish or perish" is well suited for me at this moment.

I have started to feel frustrated about this. I still have other ideas for research papers in the field and even for making a couple of books in collaboration with other colleages abroad, but I don´t know where to start.

I seen a lot of Professors that publish like maniacs, and I would like to know if there is a way to increase my productivity in the academic field. How should I distribute my time?. It may sound silly, but I feel that 100% of my time is dedicated only to lecture pretty boring undergraduate stuff. Any advice? Mostly of people that are researchers and are in this field, so they have experience about this.

Thanks

Would you be willing to move to another university?  It would be challenging, but possible.  My hunch is that if your school does not value research, and if that's really what excites you more than teaching, then long term  it will probably be hard for you to be satisfied where you are now.

If you do want to move, then I suggest that you focus on establishing a reputation in some small area, and also that you try to make contacts with researchers at other universities who are working in the same area that you are.  I must say that my collaborations have hugely impacted how much I've enjoyed doing research.  I am at a school that values research, but even there I have not found many people to work with, so most of my collaboration is with people elsewhere.  We work a lot by email.  The email allows us to get some momentum, so that when I do have a chance to visit one of my collaborators, often we can be fairly productive in a limited time.

Two things that I love about collaboration: (1) my coauthors often have great ideas, and our papers end up much better than if I had written them myself and (2) it's a lot more fun working with someone, and it's easier to stay encouraged.  So that's what I recommend that you aim for.  If you want to know how to squeeze more research time or productivity (just working by yourself) out of your current schedule, then I recommend that you follow the advice of aeismail and consult a Personal Productivity site.