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1500 questions
58
votes
12 answers

Mimic lecturing on blackboard, facing audience

I teach mathematics at MSc and PhD levels. My preferred method of teaching is old-fashioned: talking and writing on the blackboard at the same time. Why? Because it has many advantages: Handwriting: imposes few restrictions on notation and…
Mark
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58
votes
11 answers

Should unreadability or sloppiness of students' work be reflected in their evaluation?

When evaluating and grading students' work in technical fields (like computer science or mathematics), I often face ones that are really messy, sometimes even unreadable (I mean structure, not - handwriting). It's not clear at all what part belongs…
Petr
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57
votes
7 answers

Can a professor ask for money directly from students to print out handouts for class?

I'm currently taking a class that doesn't have a required textbook, which is why I took it. My professor is now saying that due to her scanning and printing out handouts for use we are each required to give her $15. I'm confused by this because…
legallyk
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57
votes
9 answers

How to proceed when a mathematical result contradicts existing literature?

An author has proven an interesting mathematical result, but notices that this result contradicts existing literature. Does the author have to find an explicit error or counter-example to the existing literature before considering submission? Can…
kantadou
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57
votes
3 answers

Forgetting what you have published

I was discussing this topic with an older professor of mine who had published more than 90 papers and couple of books in his field. The papers are highly specialized and half of them are with different co-authors from the same or a different…
escplat12
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57
votes
7 answers

Is it standard for a math research paper to include less detail in proofs than a typical textbook would?

I am a fourth-year undergraduate student in Mathematics. Recently, I read a mathematics paper. It seems that the proof in the paper is not as convincing as what one might find in a textbook. For instance, the authors skip some calculations and…
fourth year
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57
votes
6 answers

Non academic career options for PhD in Math

I am thinking of getting my M.S. in Computer Science. I chose C.S. because I enjoy programming and because its a solid choice, career wise. Low unemployment, good pay, all that jazz. But my real passions has always been math and lately I have been…
Taylor Huston
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57
votes
10 answers

Can I learn the course material for the first time while I'm teaching it?

If I'm going to give students the course X in next semester. Should I have full understanding of the subject before I teach them or can I learn about the topics before I go to the class and then teach them? The idea that I want to reach is it good…
CS Geek
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57
votes
6 answers

Will I destroy my career if I published a paper with a serious mistake?

I'm an undergrad and kind of new to this whole research thing. I've been doing research for the past ~9 months as a requirement to graduate with my bachelor's (there's the research track and software development track, I chose research). I was told…
User1915
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57
votes
4 answers

What to do when a good article is published in a predatory online journal that disappears?

European International Journal of Science and Humanities (EIJSH) published my article about 2 years ago. The publication was online. The problem is that I haven't been able to access the EIJSH website for about 1 year. The study was cited once or…
Ayso
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57
votes
7 answers

Student wants to show everybody how much he knows

I have read this question, where the OP asked how to handle silly questions. In the excellent answer of Irwin, the 6th point attracted my attention: If it's a matter of the student talking on and wasting time with questions, then you can ask the…
KKL
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57
votes
3 answers

How long before PhD graduation should I start applying for post-doc positions?

My earliest PhD graduation date is 10 months away. Funding permits me to stay 1–3 months longer, so the final date is still uncertain. It is never too early to make contacts for possible post-docs. But how long in advance is too early to formally…
gerrit
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57
votes
8 answers

Is it unethical/unscientific to omit outlier data in a publication when they are in FAVOR of your argument?

I have a scatter(log-)plot with some 10,000 data points that plots the running time of some algorithm against the input on random instances of some problem. I have a lot of these plots, and due to space constraints I can't exactly dedicate a large…
user541686
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57
votes
11 answers

What is the effect of a PhD student dyeing their hair blue?

I'm a male 19 year old Phd student (in a field in the exact sciences), I dyed my hair bright blue. Personally, I think it transmits a great message and is generally cool. Although, I'm not sure how well received will it be in my university, in…
ResearchEnthusiast
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57
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9 answers

Would it be acceptable to occasionally sleep at the lab?

I'm currently an undergrad, and work as a researcher in an EECS lab. Recently, I discovered a novel application to work on, and so for the last few weeks I've been staying at the lab late almost every day, leaving at midnight or later. Since I live…
Snakes and Coffee
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