qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1,010 | I've been maintaining a great GPA in a specialization undergraduate program, am planning on taking the MCAT this summer, and have been looking into some volunteering/internship opportunities. Are there any other special precautions that I should be taking to increase the likelihood of my acceptance into med school? Are... | [
{
"answer_id": 1507,
"author": "Chris K. Caldwell",
"author_id": 817,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/817",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "It would be a good idea to seek info from those that might know, such as: \n\n* <http://www.aspiringdocs.org/... | 2012/04/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1010",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/581/"
] |
1,012 | I would like to present some classic computer science papers in a class I am teaching. I know teachers usually assign papers before the lecture, but I can't figure out how to present material they've already read and likely understood. In the case of a highly technical paper, I'd go over the more technical portions, pe... | [
{
"answer_id": 1017,
"author": "Willie Wong",
"author_id": 94,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "One possibility is to ask the *students* to present. \n\n1. It gives an opportunity for the students to practice pres... | 2012/04/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1012",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/586/"
] |
1,014 | Assume one or more undergraduate students are given a topic by an academic supervsior to use for their undergraduate honors thesis. The task is designed, programmed and set-up by the supervisor, who shows the students how to use the equipment and to conduct rudimentary data analysis/summaries. The students then collect... | [
{
"answer_id": 1022,
"author": "Artem Kaznatcheev",
"author_id": 66,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/66",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "If the student (or anybody else for that matter) did not make a novel and significant intellectual contribution... | 2012/04/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1014",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/588/"
] |
1,018 | Many people complain about Elsevier and over eight thousand are [boycotting it](http://thecostofknowledge.com), but actual solutions seem hard to find for certain fields- I'm thinking of research areas for which an Elsevier journal is very important and funds are not available to subsidize an open-access journal.
How ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1019,
"author": "Alex Holcombe",
"author_id": 590,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "First one must assess whether researchers in the area agree that the community should leave Elsevier. If there is... | 2012/04/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1018",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590/"
] |
1,020 | To quote Thomsons "a journal's [Impact factor](http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/science/academic/impact_factor/)
is calculated by dividing the number of current year citations to the source items published in that journal during the previous two years."
I assume that disciplines vary in
* **average number ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1021,
"author": "Artem Kaznatcheev",
"author_id": 66,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/66",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "Moving from comments:\n\nDefining field boundaries is an extremely difficult problem. Once those boundaries are... | 2012/04/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1020",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62/"
] |
1,023 | Assume that the student (during his PhD) is faced with a problem which he and his advisor are both completely new to. The advisor is **trying to** help the student but owing to his lack of experience/knowledge/intuition in the field, is unable to help much. What is the etiquette for the student to seek external help (p... | [
{
"answer_id": 1027,
"author": "Lars Kotthoff",
"author_id": 12,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "You absolutely should inform your advisor that you are going to seek external help, even if they are against it. The... | 2012/04/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1023",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,032 | Although the presence of a senate suggests that universities nominally are governed somewhat by their faculty, it is frequently stated that there has been a trend towards greater managerialism, which has perhaps undermined the powers of faculty regarding university governance.
What current powers does a faculty senate... | [
{
"answer_id": 1503,
"author": "Chris K. Caldwell",
"author_id": 817,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/817",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "This question seems a bit wide to answer. Are you interested in public or private schools? Junior college or ... | 2012/04/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1032",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590/"
] |
1,034 | I did a modest undergraduate in Information Systems (3/4) and good master's in CS (3.4/4). I've PhD acceptance from a good school in Canada. However, I still need to go to top school , or at least a well-known school, in US.
I am planning to apply to top schools in CS next year (since deadlines already passed). I hav... | [
{
"answer_id": 1900,
"author": "StrongBad",
"author_id": 929,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/929",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Your approach is wrong and will be a hindrance in maximizing your chances for acceptance. No school wants to accept s... | 2012/04/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1034",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/532/"
] |
1,035 | A student asked me to write a letter of recommendation for graduate school admission in London and the student insisted that I include a short biography describing my job title and qualifications. I find this information is a little out of place. First, my degree is in progress, so I do not have any impressive qualific... | [
{
"answer_id": 1040,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Yes, this is relatively common. (In my opinion, not common enough.)\n\nRecommendation letters carry more weight if he reade... | 2012/04/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1035",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/600/"
] |
1,039 | How do you cope when a department chair is all out to cause you problems? Especially when he is doing it for personal reasons that I have no control over (e.g. gender, skin color, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, accent, etc). My chair hates me, so he harasses me with bad teaching loads, too many preps, assig... | [
{
"answer_id": 1044,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "I agree with JeffE that leaving is the best solution, but it may not be an option. One key question is ... | 2012/04/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1039",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/604/"
] |
1,051 | I've always wondered if PIs look for a perfect fit for their projects. For instance, a post doc vacancy is advertised as follows:
* Must have completed PhD with 3 peer reviewed journal articles.
* Must have x,y and z skills.
* Must have had some exposure to a,b and c skills.
Now what if the applicant has only 1 journ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1055,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Usually, I hire two types of postdocs. \n\nThe first one is the \"zero expectation\" postdoc, this is the postdo... | 2012/04/08 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1051",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21/"
] |
1,065 | I wonder if there are universities having real-world MSc related courses. My focus is to understand cloud technologies and services(especially if it is Amazon). Preferably in UK, but can be actually anywhere around the world. Maybe general or specific like PAAS , SAAS etc. Could you suggest any? | [
{
"answer_id": 1072,
"author": "Lars Kotthoff",
"author_id": 12,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/12",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's an MSc specialising in Networks and Distributed Systems at [St Andrews](http://www.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/?q=n... | 2012/04/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1065",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/618/"
] |
1,066 | Suppose you do bad in undergraduate school in say computer science. But you do very well in a masters program in computer science. If you want to apply to a PhD program in computer science, will the masters degree grades offset the undergraduate degree grades? | [
{
"answer_id": 1070,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "In general, recent performance will tend to outweigh prior performance. I will look at a student with a graduate 4.0 and... | 2012/04/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1066",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/620/"
] |
1,068 | I'm currently looking for a PhD position and have started to realize that a lot of my time goes into sporadeously surfing the web in hope of finding an open position. Are there good job directories for academic work that lists available positions? | [
{
"answer_id": 1069,
"author": "Rob",
"author_id": 622,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/622",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "<http://www.higheredjobs.com> \n\nThey have jobs broken down by Job Category, Region, and Institution Type. They also do a ... | 2012/04/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1068",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/141/"
] |
1,076 | Invited talks are important for moving up the academic ladder, so I'd like to know how one maximizes the odds of being offered to be an invited speaker at conferences.
I am aware of the most obvious things like having important results to report. However, apparently this is not always necessary: one often sees in the ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1077,
"author": "Alex Holcombe",
"author_id": 590,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "Give some colloquia (departmental seminars or lab-specific talks) in the departments of organizers of conferences... | 2012/04/09 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1076",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/623/"
] |
1,078 | Recently I've changed jobs, and consequently the field of research has also changed. But I'm still getting proposals for publications in the previous field, and it is interesting for me to accept some of them. My concern is about which affiliation to use: on one hand I gain all the knowledge in that field while working... | [
{
"answer_id": 1080,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "If you have written the publication **only** with the resources and support of the former employer, then it is perfectly ... | 2012/04/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1078",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/626/"
] |
1,082 | My background: I'm currently 1 year out of my undergrad in psychology and I currently have a job working on a educational grant project at a university. I've lost some interest in the field of psychology as a whole and I'm considering going back to school for computer science. When I expressed this interest to an advis... | [
{
"answer_id": 1083,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It depends largely on how \"strict\" the employer in question is regarding qualifications. Some companies—particularly l... | 2012/04/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1082",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/632/"
] |
1,085 | I want to keep a research notebook for my computational "experiments". Basically, I should at least be able to write text and attach images like plots. Other nice features to have would be
1. linking to past experiments/pages
2. latex equations
3. uploading papers, or other urls
4. being able to transfer data
5. datin... | [
{
"answer_id": 1086,
"author": "dearN",
"author_id": 21,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "For uploading papers and annotating them, I use [mendeley](http://www.mendeley.com). \nTo organize my citations, I use [cit... | 2012/04/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1085",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/634/"
] |
1,095 | I would like to have suggestions of good software for drawing illustrations in research papers. I already know about [Xfig](http://www.xfig.org/), but this works only on Linux and is at times, clunky when it comes to text. Moreover the resolution is not always perfect making it difficult to manoeuvre the objects. Besid... | [
{
"answer_id": 1096,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "As drawing software, I use [OmniGraffle](http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnigraffle/) which is much more modern t... | 2012/04/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1095",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,103 | I know PhD is unsparing in terms of available time, but at times there may be situations that demand some extra income, for example, family situations or some medical emergency.
In such cases, are there any specific jobs PhD students could take up? This could be at some place within a university (a library, say) or s... | [
{
"answer_id": 1105,
"author": "csgillespie",
"author_id": 611,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/611",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "Two obvious answers are:\n\n1. Marking (grading). Ask your supervisor if they have coursework that needs to be mark... | 2012/04/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1103",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,110 | I have read other threads along similar lines but I am looking for slightly different advice. And I am posting this anonymously because I would rather my current employer did not find out my intentions!
So, I have a bachelors and a masters degree in computer engineering and currently work in one of the top microproces... | [
{
"answer_id": 1111,
"author": "Jyrki Lahtonen",
"author_id": 17484,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/17484",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "A concern (raised by your background) that occurs to me is that do you really have a clear idea what graduat... | 2012/04/10 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1110",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,112 | Suppose that I've helped other researchers with the statistical analyses for an epidemiological study and therefore I am acknowledged for that in the "Acknowledgments" section of the paper (something like "We thank *andrea* for his statistical support").
Obviously, this doesn't count as a publication for me, as I am n... | [
{
"answer_id": 1114,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "I've never seen anything like this on a CV.\n\nIf you have other publications, I certainly wouldn't include this. It... | 2012/04/13 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1112",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/663/"
] |
1,118 | I have a master's degree in Computer Science. I have applied to PhD programs, and decisions are trickling in. I may soon have to choose between two or more PhD programs. I am outside of the US.
Unfortunately, I have diverse interests. I was advised that a successful PhD application is usually quite specific, so I made... | [
{
"answer_id": 1119,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "(My experience with non-American PhD programs is limited, so some of what I say here may not be relevant or possible.)\n\nFi... | 2012/04/14 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1118",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/625/"
] |
1,124 | While multitasking is not a desired trait unique to academia, it's something that seems particularly important for graduate students and new faculty. I've had many students ask me how to multitask effectively, and I'm curious to know what the collective wisdom of this forum would be.
>
> what are good practices to m... | [
{
"answer_id": 1126,
"author": "Ran G.",
"author_id": 324,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/324",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Different people would have different techniques. What I found very useful for me is to have a list of the 5-8 most impo... | 2012/04/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1124",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346/"
] |
1,128 | In programming there are many [hackathons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon) - intense voluntary one day-week events, where participants collaboratively attack problems. They may be proposed by a company, NGO, participants or a group; for qualification/profit, for fun or for a good cause (eg. <http://www.rhok.org... | [
{
"answer_id": 1129,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "In math we have various programs where a group of people get together to do focused work on a problem, usually at one of the ... | 2012/04/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1128",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49/"
] |
1,131 | I am a economics major student who will be applying for PhD programmes pretty soon. I am quite interested in economics, but I find myself even more interested things related to probability theory, such as stochastic processes. And if I ever get into a econ PhD programme, I'm pretty sure that I should be looking for co-... | [
{
"answer_id": 1132,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Yes, it is possible to cross over between different fields following the PhD-level studies. However, in general, this ten... | 2012/04/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1131",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/676/"
] |
1,136 | It's well-known that many grad schools (especially top-ranked) require some research experience from prospective students and consider this as main criterion for accept/reject decision.
During undergraduate study I was working on my research (hadn't finished it - had solved just one particular case) - but can't say it... | [
{
"answer_id": 1138,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "From my experience, there are three reasons why potential advisors want to see undergraduate research:\n\n1. Show that th... | 2012/04/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1136",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/552/"
] |
1,137 | Plenty of advice is available for standard interviews, should phone/Skype interviews be approached any differently?
(This was asked on twitter by @emilyandthelime, I have my own, partial answer that I'll post) | [
{
"answer_id": 1139,
"author": "Alex Holcombe",
"author_id": 590,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "A major difference from an in-person interview is that interpersonal visual cues such as eye contact are absent or... | 2012/04/16 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1137",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/590/"
] |
1,150 | This is slightly different from [What does author order indicate?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/535/319). Our group has debated when would it be appropriate for a student or a post-doc to be considered the senior ie. the corresponding author.
As an aside, for CV building purposes, would it be more beneficial t... | [
{
"answer_id": 1155,
"author": "ESultanik",
"author_id": 92,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/92",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "In my field (Computer Science), I usually assume that the first author and/or the \"corresponding author\" is the one w... | 2012/04/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1150",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/319/"
] |
1,152 | Most graduate applications provide a choice for applicants to view their recommendation letters at a later date. There is a mention of some US mandate alongside.
* Is it a better option to forgo this choice in the application? Will the recommending professor feel more secure then?
* What is the procedure for the appli... | [
{
"answer_id": 1154,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "The secret to getting a good letter from someone is making sure they're going to write you a good letter before you have t... | 2012/04/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1152",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,157 | I am in the process of interviewing for faculty positions and trying to keep my CV up to date as I go. Should I include research (or teaching) presentations given during on-campus interviews as invited talks? Or are they considered just a part of the interview process and better left off the CV? | [
{
"answer_id": 1158,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "I would say **no**. Leave them off the CV.\n\nApart from the fact that you more-or-less invited them to invite you ... | 2012/04/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1157",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/662/"
] |
1,162 | How well accepted has been (systematic) literature reviews in your research field, these days?!
I come from computer science field, more specifically Software Engineering. Some professors I keep in touch usually ask their students to perform a systematic literature review (SLR) as a research kickoff, rather than perfo... | [
{
"answer_id": 1163,
"author": "Fomite",
"author_id": 118,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/118",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "In Epidemiology (and medicine generally) systematic literature reviews - and the meta-analysis subset that come from sys... | 2012/04/17 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1162",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690/"
] |
1,169 | How can a PhD student proceed when his/her advisor quits midway?
* What should be the student's considerations when the professor offers him a choice to move along with him? Should it be the comparative rankings of the universities? Or the relationship enjoyed with the professor thus far? Or the progress of the work?
... | [
{
"answer_id": 1172,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "I went through this experience, and I have friends who've gone through this experience, and it's never fun. You ask a lot... | 2012/04/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1169",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,177 | During undergrad, students can face several opportunities, ranging from participation in (1) research groups, (2) study/training for competitions, (3) internships, (4) opening start-ups with colleagues (the latter is becoming very common these days), but I wonder, what is really important, for a Ph.D. application/admis... | [
{
"answer_id": 1183,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "If a student is going to dedicate a substantial amount of time to a non-academic, non-research activity, there had bette... | 2012/04/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1177",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690/"
] |
1,178 | The Internet is littered with information about university rankings and comparisons that it is very easy for an applicant to lose track of what exactly he wants to know. Apparently rankings which compare all departments of a university and have a single rank are not very useful from an applicant's perspective. Yet thes... | [
{
"answer_id": 1179,
"author": "Ivan Machado",
"author_id": 690,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I can add your list with two more well-recognized ranks:\n\n* [topuniversities.com](http://www.topuniversities.com... | 2012/04/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1178",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,184 | I'm considering a PhD and asked a professor at my university. I suggested a topic to him that he accepted. I applied and he offered me a position but I didn't accept yet.
Later he changed my project's topic to one that suits his interest. I said I would like to do the original topic that I got accepted with. Then I as... | [
{
"answer_id": 1186,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Your situation isn't quite clear. Are you deciding whether or not to accept a position, or have you already accepted and... | 2012/04/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1184",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/477/"
] |
1,189 | As an international student in the united states, I am legally allowed to work for 12 months, extendable to 29months for STEM fields, after graduating with my PhD (or masters degree for that matter) without having to change my visa/student status.
Now, I am looking for post doc opportunities in the US at several unive... | [
{
"answer_id": 1197,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "I think it really depends on how long you plan to work without salary. If you apply for some grants in the next months, ... | 2012/04/18 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1189",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21/"
] |
1,190 | My advisers are starting to use [Basecamp](http://basecamp.com/) for my project, and I like most of it so far. I am wondering, though, about the arguments for and against Basecamp. | [
{
"answer_id": 1191,
"author": "Ivan Machado",
"author_id": 690,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Nice question. Curiously, I've been used the [dotproject](http://www.dotproject.net), it's a [FLOSS](http://en.wik... | 2012/04/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1190",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/77/"
] |
1,192 | Selecting members of one's PhD committee is an important part of a PhD student's academic development. Committee members can have considerable influence on a student's PhD program, such as determining what topics are on the student's prelims exams. However, sound advice on this process can be hard to find.
*What are s... | [
{
"answer_id": 1196,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "There are some general guidelines for choosing members of a PhD committee:\n\n* **They should have some enthusiasm for th... | 2012/04/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1192",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/77/"
] |
1,193 | I am finishing a paper which was created thanks to my inspiration of Erik Erikson's work on [psychological developement](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erikson%27s_stages_of_psychosocial_development). The paper is, however, in the field of thermodynamics and complexity-science. I, therefore, feel grateful that such a gre... | [
{
"answer_id": 1194,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "I would reserve the acknowledgments section for people or organizations that directly contributed to the... | 2012/04/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1193",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/280/"
] |
1,199 | I know it's rather difficult to establish a ranking of publications, especially because the ones in charge of establishing values for venues might be biased by their field, and several other aspects. However, I know some well-accepted (at least locally) ranking, that consider all fields under research, e.g. [Brazilian ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1210,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "In Computer Science, CiteSeerX used to provide a Venue Impact Factor, that included journals and conferences, but it see... | 2012/04/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1199",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690/"
] |
1,200 | I would like to have a professional academic webpage, and for different reasons, I don't want to use the website of my current workplace (mostly because due to some external factors, it's not currently possible where I work, but also because I consider changing affiliation in the future, and I'd like to avoid moving my... | [
{
"answer_id": 1204,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "One possibility is [Wikidot](http://www.wikidot.com/); its main version is free plus has some additional features fo... | 2012/04/19 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1200",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,206 | ### General background
Some time ago, I was reading [a blog post, where there was some discussion about how many people read journal articles](http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2010/06/23/write-only-articles/).
I think that such an estimate is important when trying to assess the impact of research on society.
However, whe... | [
{
"answer_id": 1224,
"author": "Hauser",
"author_id": 213,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/213",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Sounds like a Fermi Problem :)\n\nA question I asked myself recently, based on the many cases of plagiarism by top-politi... | 2012/04/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1206",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/62/"
] |
1,208 | I have recently applied to two PhD programs (in Europe) under professors working in the area of Sound and Music Computing (SMC). Both programs are very well regarded in this area.
SMC covers topics such as:
* Music information retrieval
* Computational musicology
* Algorithmic composition / performance
* Sentiment an... | [
{
"answer_id": 1209,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "SMC sounds like a very interesting but somewhat narrow specialization. Since it's not likely that an exp... | 2012/04/20 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1208",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/625/"
] |
1,219 | OpenCourseWare has become more and more popular over the years, and quite a good number of universities make their lessons available in the form of online videos. However, compared to the total number of universities found in the US or rest of the world, the offerings are quite small. It seems to me that OpenCourseWare... | [
{
"answer_id": 1220,
"author": "bobthejoe",
"author_id": 319,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/319",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Making an OpenCourseWare course isn't as simple as getting a team of kids with videocameras and uploading the course o... | 2012/04/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1219",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/600/"
] |
1,223 | I've been accepted to a top 20 Computer Science department with a RA, TA and fellowship. I decided to defer my admissions a year due to unforeseen circumstances. I was informed the school does not allow deferment, and my adviser told me to simply reapply next year. If I was accepted to the university this academic year... | [
{
"answer_id": 1225,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "If you have the time and financial resources to apply, there's no reason *not* to apply to schools that you think you ha... | 2012/04/21 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1223",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/454/"
] |
1,232 | Many times in universities, people don't dedicate much time to build friendly relationships with colleagues.
Unfortunately, this happens both in the tenured positions and in non-tenured positions, with many bad consequences (such as for examples, many researchers actually don't know what other colleagues are researchi... | [
{
"answer_id": 1266,
"author": "Trevor Owens",
"author_id": 726,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/726",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "In my experience, a lot of academics tend to shy away from things like a pizza party. I would suggest thinking abou... | 2012/04/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1232",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/379/"
] |
1,233 | >
> **Possible Duplicate:**
>
> [How to make a presentation that includes math symbols?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/301/how-to-make-a-presentation-that-includes-math-symbols)
>
>
>
I have been using TeX4PPT for PowerPoint under Windows for a few years to include matematical formulas in PP pre... | [
{
"answer_id": 1234,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "On Mac Os only, you can use [Keynote](http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/) and [Latexit](http://pierre.chachatelier.fr/... | 2012/04/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1233",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/710/"
] |
1,236 | We all know that usually when applying for a post phd academic position students need at least three recommendation letters. But what can we do if we have only worked with our advisor and we have no other close professors in the department to ask. This refers to the case when the student took classes, had a little teac... | [
{
"answer_id": 1237,
"author": "dearN",
"author_id": 21,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/21",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "You could ask members of your doctoral committee to write you a letter of recommendation each. They would probably need som... | 2012/04/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1236",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/713/"
] |
1,239 | from [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineering):
>
> **Software engineering** (SE) is the application of a systematic, disciplined,
> quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance
> of software, and the study of these approaches.
>
>
>
I was wondering if there is some... | [
{
"answer_id": 1250,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "I've never heard of a field dedicated to the study of research methods. There are journals dedicated to advances in metho... | 2012/04/22 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1239",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/80/"
] |
1,246 | Related to but different from [Should I include a publication where I'm only acknowledged (and not one of the authors) in my CV?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1112/should-i-include-a-publication-where-im-only-acknowledged-and-not-one-of-the-a)
I'm a part of some publications which officially are writte... | [
{
"answer_id": 1247,
"author": "Bravo",
"author_id": 411,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "* If you are listed as an author in the paper, then you can always include the paper in your publications list.\n* If you... | 2012/04/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1246",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/185/"
] |
1,249 | I have successfully got my papers accepted in different journals. However, due to some money issues, I couldn't get them published. Now I have my final project presentations.
Will it hold value for me? I have slogged day in and out to accomplish this, but money constraints have shattered everything.
How do I manage m... | [
{
"answer_id": 1251,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "Reputable journals will waive publication charges for authors who cannot pay them, so you should ask abo... | 2012/04/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1249",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/721/"
] |
1,252 | Consider an undergrad student (who wishes to dive into STEM research) in an obscure university in an obscure town who has a few ideas which he converts into a well documented article. All of this by learning completely on his own. He has no faculty within his institute (or locality) to turn to (they aren't as active in... | [
{
"answer_id": 1254,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It may be that even if the faculty at the institution are not themselves active in research, they are likely to know people t... | 2012/04/23 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1252",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,260 | I wish to pursue my MBA in a premier business school. Is it better to go straight from my graduation (B.Tech in CS) or get some work experience and then go on with MBA? | [
{
"answer_id": 1264,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Usually, MBA is something that you do when you have significant work experience. There is a good reason for tha... | 2012/04/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1260",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/724/"
] |
1,261 | As with many papers in the sciences, there are multiple authors who aren't physically close to each other. I was curious about the most efficient and simplest way to technically share the writing. On the more complicated side would be LaTeX and subsequently using subversion to merge all of the changes. Then there is go... | [
{
"answer_id": 1262,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "It also depends on what should be the final format of your document. For instance, I write all my articles in Latex, an... | 2012/04/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1261",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/319/"
] |
1,270 | In EE/EC/CS departments, there are certain fields that are theory-based (like the algo or complexity groups), ones that lean towards systems implementation (OS, programming languages, etc) and others have a component of both (like networking).
In such a field like networking, there are professors who work on hard-cor... | [
{
"answer_id": 1271,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> How important is math emphasis in an applied field like networking?\n> Industry work is almost always si... | 2012/04/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1270",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,273 | I am a social scientist working primarily on Linux, but also at times required to work on Windows systems at the University. I have been looking to improve my productivity in the academic workflow which primarily consist of:
1. Collecting literature, reference-management, review notes etc. (currently zotero)
2. Outlin... | [
{
"answer_id": 1344,
"author": "John Garrigus",
"author_id": 756,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/756",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "I am an academic [history] who adopted org-mode about 18 months ago. Frankly, I'm puzzled by all the warnings abo... | 2012/04/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1273",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/314/"
] |
1,275 | While making some paper search in my scientific field, sometimes I find articles that are not published in journals or conference proceedings, but as **technical reports**.
In my experience, I've never written a technical report, and I've never even been asked to do it.
So I was wondering: what's the difference betwe... | [
{
"answer_id": 1276,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "The main advantages of a research report is that it's published very fast, and without reviewing process. From what I've... | 2012/04/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1275",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/379/"
] |
1,280 | When I was applying for grad school, I felt that my CV was pretty empty and so I included all my research related presentations (posters/talks) from conferences/competitions/etc (11 of them at the time). However, I am not sure how much of a role they played in my acceptance at that time (I feel I mostly got accepted ba... | [
{
"answer_id": 1282,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "First of all: note that there is a difference between an academic CV and a resume.\n\n* An **academic CV** typically lists... | 2012/04/25 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1280",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/66/"
] |
1,284 | I have been to a few conferences that worked based on precirculated papers. That is, everyone submits their papers in advance and the assumption is that conference goers who come to a given talk have read the paper in advance. In principle this seems ideal, we can use that face-to-face time to discuss work instead of j... | [
{
"answer_id": 1289,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I can't see this happening in any sort of large-scale conference. This would involve too much work and logistical planni... | 2012/04/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1284",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/726/"
] |
1,285 | Is it better to contact a publisher early in the writing process so that the editor can be involved in shaping the project, or is it better to submit a full academic book manuscript? In my case, this would be for a first academic book. If this is something that is dependent on particular academic fields my field is dig... | [
{
"answer_id": 1288,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Book writing is a very thankless task—it takes a long time, and the profits probably don't make up for the cost of the ti... | 2012/04/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1285",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/726/"
] |
1,286 | How to write a cover letter to journal when submitting a manuscript?
1. In the letter, it is expected that I propose 5 referees. Is this the only reason to write a cover letter?
2. Will the cover letter be sent to the referees or only to Journal's staff?
3. I feel reluctant to praise my contribution in the cover lette... | [
{
"answer_id": 1287,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "1. It is also polite to write a cover letter, even if nobody asks for it. And the purpose is often to ease the p... | 2012/04/26 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1286",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/280/"
] |
1,294 | This question is similar to [Rules for affiliation for student doing unpaid research in his/her free time?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/890/546) and [Is it acceptable to publish a paper using an affiliation with a former employer?](https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/1078/546) except that I am a retiree.
I i... | [
{
"answer_id": 1296,
"author": "Willie Wong",
"author_id": 94,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/94",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "The best source of advice on these issues are the journal editorial staff. Some journals may require you to list your ... | 2012/04/27 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1294",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/546/"
] |
1,297 | I occasionally receive "cold-call" applications from graduate or postdoctoral candidates interested in working in my research group. Most of the time, they are of no interest—it's just a "form letter"-type application. However, once in a while, I get an application from someone who I would consider giving an interview ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1300,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "**This answer is about faculty candidates, not graduate student or postdoc candidates. (I misunderstood the original questi... | 2012/04/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1297",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53/"
] |
1,298 | I am wondering if it would be worth emailing departments that I haven't applied to this year, asking if they'd be willing to take a look at my application material. Any advice, or should I just wait till next year?
I applied to too few places this year, because I couldn't afford all the application fees. I'm saving up... | [
{
"answer_id": 1299,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "For the most part, yes, it is too late to be considered for graduate admissions at most programs for this coming fall, a... | 2012/04/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1298",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/736/"
] |
1,301 | As a scientist, the idea of a "research notebook," or its functional equivalent, has been well ingrained into me. However, it's not clear to me if this is a universal phenomenon, or if it's limited to the sciences.
For students working in the humanities and other fields—such as literature, economics, or philosophy—wha... | [
{
"answer_id": 1307,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "I asked my wife, which works in art history/egyptology. So first, \"it depends of how the person works\" ;). \n\... | 2012/04/28 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1301",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53/"
] |
1,303 | What's a tactful, respectful way to notify job applicants that you won't be hiring them? I see a lot of angry online discussion of this issue. Nobody seems to like the common "if you don't hear back, you're not hired" approach, but it's easy to go wrong in other ways (too short, too long, too condescending, too cheerfu... | [
{
"answer_id": 1304,
"author": "Piotr Migdal",
"author_id": 49,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/49",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Just from a perspective of one who has been rejected a lot of times (although from schools and research programmer, ... | 2012/04/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1303",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612/"
] |
1,305 | Many of you probably have already lived these career turning point: your PhD program is going to end, and you have to choose an university research group to apply for a postdoc position.
**Which factors do you consider as more important in this choice?**
Take research group X at university Y.
Which factors you consi... | [
{
"answer_id": 1306,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Actually, I think the frame of this question isn't quite right. I would argue that these are criteria that I would use i... | 2012/04/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1305",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/379/"
] |
1,308 | I think I have seen it spelled both ways.
Is one spelling more common or formal than the other ? (e.g. in the U.S.) | [
{
"answer_id": 1309,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "According to the New Oxford American Dictionary (that I have by default on my Mac :)): \n\n> \n> The spellings adviser a... | 2012/04/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1308",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/263/"
] |
1,312 | I have a question.
>
> Can all the professors in a department see a particular student's grades?
>
>
>
Can the chair of a department see a student's grades? | [
{
"answer_id": 1313,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Officially and in general, no.\n\nThe teacher of a class should in general not share grades with his colleagues. Informa... | 2012/04/29 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1312",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/740/"
] |
1,316 | I will soon finish my PhD and start searching for a post-doc position and I was wondering which web-based solution is the best suited to present myself and my work (I work in plant biology).
I see two main options: social network type, such as [**Academia.edu**](http://www.academia.edu/) or [**ResearchGate**](http://w... | [
{
"answer_id": 1319,
"author": "Henry",
"author_id": 8,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/8",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "Perhaps it's different in other fields, but in math, it isn't pretentious for a PhD student to operate their own website, and ... | 2012/04/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1316",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/481/"
] |
1,317 | Lately lots of courses like udacity, coursera, and MITx are provided online. I attended most of them; also I have attended courses in OCW provided by MIT. Now I desire to earn some credits for whatever I have learnt so far, so that I can apply for a degree (in electronics and computer engineering).
* Could anyone sug... | [
{
"answer_id": 1318,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Most of the courses that I've seen explicitly state that you obtain no credit for doing the course. More explicitly... | 2012/04/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1317",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,322 | Obviously this is a question in the light of the recent Elsevier boycott. Currently we do have an arXiv, maintained by academia and where researchers regularly upload parts of their work. In such a case,
* Why do universities spend lots of money to publish in third-party journals?
The question especially applies to j... | [
{
"answer_id": 1323,
"author": "Sylvain Peyronnet",
"author_id": 43,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/43",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> **Why do universities splurge lots of money to publish in third-party\n> journals?**\n> \n> \n> \n\nBeca... | 2012/04/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1322",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,325 | Do I expand abbreviations at their first use **per section or per paper**?
This is an IEEE publication, but I haven't come across any specific instructions. | [
{
"answer_id": 1326,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "I would do it per paper, unless the paper is extremely long and some abbreviations are defined (and used) in the sta... | 2012/04/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1325",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/748/"
] |
1,331 | According to wikipedia, [grade inflation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_inflation) is the tendency of academic grades for work of comparable quality to increase over time. That article also includes plenty of evidence for the phenomenon and lists some potential causes. Has this issue been studied using game theory... | [
{
"answer_id": 1332,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "One paper that looks relevant is \"A Signaling Theory of Grade Inflation\" by Bhab, Hao, and JuineN (2007). From their a... | 2011/10/12 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1331",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/111/"
] |
1,336 | I have offers for tenure-track computational biology positions at a couple of U.S. research universities. What sort of things do I need to budget for in my startup package? | [
{
"answer_id": 1337,
"author": "Steve P",
"author_id": 315,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/315",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "I'll hopefully be in your position in another year or two, so I'm not speaking from experience. But a few things come t... | 2012/04/30 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1336",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/753/"
] |
1,340 | How can I find out what theories are 'widely accepted' in the scientific world at the moment? When I read about a theory, or read a paper, how can I tell what 'the scientific world' thinks of these?
---
### Background:
When hearing about development or history of science, the phrase 'widely accepted' is quite popula... | [
{
"answer_id": 1342,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Firstly, the \"official\" ways that researchers state their opinion is by stating it in either a publication or in a prese... | 2012/05/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1340",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/754/"
] |
1,345 | I'm Muslim, I use Md. as for Rudimman. So when submiting to journals, should I stick to the 2nd & 3rd names? I'm currently facing problems in submitting to arxiv.org which asks for only first and last names. | [
{
"answer_id": 1346,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "My advice is to use at least 3 names (including your surname) so that you will be uniquely identifiable. It probabl... | 2012/05/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1345",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/675/"
] |
1,348 | I am interested in teaching at the university-level in Arabic. Would teaching arabic in a high-school first(as I have no university-level teaching experience) help me? I currently teach science to 6th graders, and am considering quitting after 4 years there.
I have an MS in Arabic from UCLA, also an MS in Educ. Bachel... | [
{
"answer_id": 2758,
"author": "mac389",
"author_id": 28,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/28",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "It is my opinion that unless you have a PhD in Arabic or something intimately related to it you won't get more than a part-... | 2012/05/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1348",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/621/"
] |
1,351 | Some conferences ask for an extended abstract. What are the differences among "abstracts," "extended abstracts," and "full papers?" | [
{
"answer_id": 1352,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "An *abstract* is a preliminary submission that summarizes the contribution of a paper. There are usually strict limits on... | 2012/05/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1351",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/333/"
] |
1,354 | I'm a doctoral student and I've published several academic papers. My institution maintains a digital institutional repository, but it doesn't look like I can put copies of my work in it. When I finish my dissertation, a copy of that would go in the IR. It seems strange that the institution doesn't seem to have practic... | [
{
"answer_id": 1355,
"author": "Ivan Machado",
"author_id": 690,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I guess it is not correct for an institution to host the students' works, but Theses, Dissertations, and Technical... | 2012/05/01 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1354",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/726/"
] |
1,358 | [OpenWetWare](http://openwetware.org) and [Google Sites](https://sites.google.com/) have been effective strategies in curating lab knowledge. I was curious about what are effective ways to create an effective wiki. Factors include:
* Ease of use and low learning curve
* Speed of sharing and diversity of shared files
*... | [
{
"answer_id": 1365,
"author": "eykanal",
"author_id": 73,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/73",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "A wiki is a platform, which you can use in whatever way you see fit. Personally, I've used them academically for the foll... | 2012/05/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1358",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/319/"
] |
1,360 | Can a very extroverted person, for example, be more favored than a very quiet person? Or is this not ethical? Can someone who is psychopathic be barred from admission? | [
{
"answer_id": 1361,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "Yes, decisions based at least partially on personality do occur. It's not clear to me what the legal te... | 2012/05/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1360",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/740/"
] |
1,363 | Recently, I was giving a small informal talk in a local college. The audience comprised of engineers and my talk was based on current research in engineering. One of the girls asked about the position of women in academia. I answered that stating that academia was like just another field for women but now that I think ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1366,
"author": "JeffE",
"author_id": 65,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/65",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "About a month ago, MIT published their most recent [*Report on the Status of Women Faculty in Science and Engineering*](htt... | 2012/05/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1363",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/761/"
] |
1,369 | Like most fields that rely on statistical analyses, economics has suffered from a few well-publicized coding errors (most notably the Foote and Goetz finding that when correcting Donohue and Levitt's programming error in the abortion/crime paper the conclusion is reversed), and likely suffers from far more which are ne... | [
{
"answer_id": 1370,
"author": "410 gone",
"author_id": 96,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/96",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "**Warning - anecdotal evidence ahead:**\n\nWe have a couple of pet statisticians that we run things past: they review ou... | 2011/10/15 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1369",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/775/"
] |
1,372 | I just got my Ph.D and I'm trying to work out how to do the *full* series of abbreviations after my name.
My scholastic qualifications are:
* Ph.D University of New South Wales, Philosophy
* Masters of Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Information Technology
* Bachelors of Science, RIT, Information Technolo... | [
{
"answer_id": 1373,
"author": "Ivan Machado",
"author_id": 690,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/690",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "As far as I know, once you pursue a Ph.D. you are encouraged to put only that achievement right after your name, s... | 2012/05/02 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1372",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/6/"
] |
1,375 | [Past advice](https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/925/767) suggests that potential PhD students should be wary of attending schools with only one professor in their subfield. If you have problems with your advisor and want to switch, having that option would be invaluable.
But what if your subfield is not represented... | [
{
"answer_id": 1381,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "It sounds like this subarea might be somewhat marginalized in the larger area the department represents, and this is con... | 2012/05/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1375",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/767/"
] |
1,377 | Or in Sean Carroll's words, is it true that "you are better off if your hobbies are nothing like your work"?
>
> Carroll, Sean. ["How To Get Tenure at a Major Research University:
> Cosmic Variance."](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/03/30/how-to-get-tenure-at-a-major-research-university/) Cosmi... | [
{
"answer_id": 1379,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "I suspect Saun Ceqroqq is emphasizing this more than most people would, thanks to his tenure denial. It... | 2012/05/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1377",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/77/"
] |
1,378 | One of the major issues in universities with respect to PhD is the high dropout factor. Demotivated students cause a big loss to the university - a lot is spent on assistantships, but in the end, the students quit without making any meaningful contribution.
What steps do/should universities and faculty members take to... | [
{
"answer_id": 1380,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "One difficulty is that it's far from clear what the ideal dropout rate should be. Probably not zero, for... | 2012/05/03 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1378",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |
1,399 | After factoring in government subsidies (or lack thereof), is the **total price** for one year of undergraduate education in Europe increasing at a rate similar to America? | [
{
"answer_id": 1400,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "This answer is based on the situation in Sweden, I think similar principles would apply in the Nordic countries and poss... | 2011/11/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1399",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/7701/"
] |
1,401 | I'm studying published journal articles on my topic, and I'd like to reproduce their analysis. How can I get a copy of their dataset and enough specifications to reproduce their numerical results?
In my specific case, I'm studying [this work: Stecklov et al. (2005)](https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2005.0037), published in... | [
{
"answer_id": 1402,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Read carefully, underline everything it says about anything to do with the data, but it is likely you won't get it quit... | 2011/10/24 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1401",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
1,407 | After graduating high-school, I did not attend a university and instead decided to enter the work force. Eight years hence, I would like to pursue a university degree but I am not entirely sure which credentials are important for an adult freshman. Are my high-school transcripts still relevant almost a decade after the... | [
{
"answer_id": 1409,
"author": "Armatus",
"author_id": 754,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/754",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "I would say definitely - it's worth a try. I am studying at a university that usually ends up high in rankings (althoug... | 2012/05/04 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1407",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/772/"
] |
1,414 | What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing your PhD research (in science, math, or engineering) at a non-academic lab (like a government or industrial lab) vs. the traditional academic setting? (Of course, the degree is granted by a university.)
When is one option better than the other if you have the choice b... | [
{
"answer_id": 1420,
"author": "Suresh",
"author_id": 346,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/346",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Since a Ph.D is always granted through some kind of Ph.D granting institution (usually a university) I assume your quest... | 2012/05/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1414",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/767/"
] |
1,417 | I'm currently enrolled as a first year student doing a computing related degree (my first) at the University of London (distance learning). Since I started, there has been a massive shifts in online education with a particular focus on the direction I want to take (computer science). With the exception to access to a w... | [
{
"answer_id": 1428,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Basically, is your question is \"Is it worth it to enroll in distance learning when you could do the same attending fre... | 2012/05/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1417",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/785/"
] |
1,422 | When writing a thesis, is it acceptable practice to cite only the URL of referenced research papers where they are published electronically? Or is it compulsory to give proper authors, title, year of publication, etc... information?
Example:
>
> Data mining is the process of analyzing large data sets in order to dis... | [
{
"answer_id": 1423,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Because URL are (usually) not eternal, but hopefully your publication is, then I wouldn't advise to only put an URL, es... | 2012/05/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1422",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/477/"
] |
1,430 | Is it OK to present a URL using a link shortening service such as bit.ly? The reason I'm asking is that I think it's a lot easier to enter this URL (e.g., if you read it in a paper) as opposed to full URL. Or is this a bad idea? | [
{
"answer_id": 1431,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "You should never offer a link shortener as the only option in an academic paper, for two reasons:\n\n1. ... | 2012/05/05 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1430",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/790/"
] |
1,437 | I got my Ph.D. from the Faculty of Computers and Information Technology, Cairo University in 2007. I want to know if it is possible to compensate or to accredit my Ph.D. from USA. If it is possible, I want to know the steps for that. Advise and tell me if there is any program in USA for a Ph.D. holder to improve and ad... | [
{
"answer_id": 1441,
"author": "Anonymous Mathematician",
"author_id": 612,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/612",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "In the U.S., most academic fields are not like medicine: there is no licensing and for most purposes th... | 2012/05/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1437",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/795/"
] |
1,447 | 1. Is it possible if I could get 4 letters of recommendation?
2. How far in advance should I notify those who are writing my letters?
3. Does activity on sites like Quora, Stack Exchange, and Reddit's AskScience
(as well as a personal webpage/blog of one's research) count as
public outreach? | [
{
"answer_id": 1456,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "To riff of off JeffE's comment:\n\n* Although only three letters of recommendation are allowed to be considered, you sho... | 2012/05/06 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1447",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/77/"
] |
1,449 | Usually, a person starts out with a single primary research interest as a PhD student (closely related to that of their adviser). But then as they move on through the assistant professor stage, they discover new research interests. Do they usually discover new research interests through collaborations/discussions with ... | [
{
"answer_id": 1451,
"author": "Dave Clarke",
"author_id": 643,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/643",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Here are a couple ways that have resulted in new research directions for me:\n\n* **Reading a paper/book.** Reading ... | 2012/05/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1449",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/77/"
] |
1,450 | Say there is a student who writes a mail to a professor asking for a PhD vacancy or a RA-ship position. Should he attach his résumé in a mail to a professor?
I have had contradictory viewpoints on this. Some people ask not to attach résumés in such mails to professors, saying such mails go straight to spam. They inste... | [
{
"answer_id": 1455,
"author": "aeismail",
"author_id": 53,
"author_profile": "https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/53",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Actually, I prefer to have the résumé or CV attached in the email. If there's not enough detail for me to decide if some... | 2012/05/07 | [
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1450",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com",
"https://academia.stackexchange.com/users/411/"
] |