Academia Stack Exchange
Academia Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
73
votes
10 answers

Should academic papers necessarily carry a sober tone?

I was reading this paper titled "Optimal Symmetric Rendezvous Search on Three Locations." While talking about the history of search problems, the author mentions the following anecdote in passing. In 2007 a letter writer to the Guardian newspaper…
Bravo
  • 22,951
  • 24
  • 98
  • 150
73
votes
7 answers

How to care less about teaching?

Fifth year math grad student as of this Fall. ABD, currently on target for six years in total. I have very strong feelings about the way courses should be taught, graded, and organized. I have thought extensively about this issue and experiment with…
dedekindpoetssociety
  • 717
  • 1
  • 5
  • 5
73
votes
10 answers

Is it plagiarism to reference a fictitious source?

I'm dealing with a student essay that references three books in support of a claim. None of the books referenced have authors listed, and, based on the contents of the student's essay, I can't find any information on these books online. I'm fairly…
tylerharms
  • 843
  • 1
  • 6
  • 11
73
votes
10 answers

Is it appropriate for an undergrad student to ask a professor to sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Allow me to first give some context. A friend and I have been discussing a business idea involving a technical device that I need some guidance on how to perfect. My friend just told me he is taking a class with a professor that founded a company…
C. Spencer
  • 801
  • 1
  • 6
  • 7
73
votes
7 answers

Why use version control systems for writing a paper?

I am following the advice of @Piotr Migdal in Is there an internet Git-like repository for collaboration on a paper?, and I want to ask about version controls: how beneficial are they (specially under LaTeX settings) for writing papers compared to…
seteropere
  • 13,788
  • 6
  • 50
  • 87
73
votes
10 answers

Where can I publish a parody (but not hoax) paper with a serious message?

I have written a short paper (six pages) in which I empirically analyse publicly available data. Both the data and my analysis are genuine and without (intentional) errors. Still, by using statistical and argumentative tricks, the paper somewhat…
Remirror
  • 849
  • 1
  • 3
  • 7
73
votes
9 answers

Did I cheat on an exam by knowing a solution in advance?

I am a mathematics student in the US. For a recent exam, I achieved one of the highest scores. The problem is that the final question was intended to be a challenge, rather than one "average" students are expected to solve completely. Most students…
Mike Ainsel
  • 1,339
  • 2
  • 7
  • 6
73
votes
3 answers

How much percentage royalty do I get from Springer (as the paper's author) and how I can apply for royalty payment?

I have submitted a paper to a Springer conference and it has been published. The publisher will charge 24.95$ to anyone who would eventually download my paper and 201 copies of my research sold by Springer official site. How much percentage royalty…
vipul salunke
  • 721
  • 1
  • 5
  • 4
73
votes
12 answers

Is it common to have a personal copy of one’s own PhD thesis?

I worked very hard on my PhD thesis, and I think it would be cool to have a nicely bound physical copy of it. I’m simply wondering if obtaining one is a common thing to do.
trb123
  • 629
  • 1
  • 5
  • 6
73
votes
9 answers

What should be done when the theory behind a PhD thesis turns out to be wrong?

I have a friend who has been working on a PhD dissertation for over 3 years and he is supposed to be wrapping it up. Unfortunately, his thesis involves a complex model and populating the model with hard-to-obtain data. After having finally gathered…
Tyler Durden
  • 1,649
  • 3
  • 14
  • 16
73
votes
6 answers

Is there such thing as too many references for one paper?

I'm currently reviewing a paper that has an uncommonly large number of references compared to the average number for that particular venue (more than 60 versus around 30). This is a regular paper, not a survey one, and although there does not seem…
user102
73
votes
12 answers

My advisor's new student copied parts of my PhD thesis; advisor doesn't care. What to do?

I wrote my PhD thesis a few years back. After I finished, my supervisor found another researcher and continued research with the apparatus I built, but along a different line of study. I met this student a few times and gave them advice and help…
Creed
  • 663
  • 1
  • 5
  • 8
72
votes
15 answers

I am currently debating whether to leave my PhD program- any advice?

TL;DR: Young graduate student in his first year of a PhD program who has lost a passion for the academic world. Seriously considering quitting but don't know what to do. Science background. My background I'm 21-25, with a Science background, B.Sc in…
user7007
  • 745
  • 1
  • 6
  • 4
72
votes
13 answers

How to tell speakers that their English is terrible?

I just had a lecture from someone who has been a senior scientist (and has completed a PhD, post-doc) at a hospital for already 15 years. So I'm assuming this person is experienced in giving talks in English. However, almost one out of three words…
Plumpie
  • 825
  • 1
  • 6
  • 7
72
votes
10 answers

What is the point of being the head of the department?

What is the point of being the head of the department ? I'm an undergraduate Physics & Mathematics student and I want to stay in academia, do research and also teach. I'm assuming professors also want this. Hence, Why do they become the head of…
Our
  • 4,149
  • 5
  • 25
  • 41
1 2 3
…
99 100