Academia Stack Exchange
Academia Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
52
votes
16 answers

What to do when students answered more questions than instructed during an exam?

I am a 5th year grad student. This is the first time I am allowed to teach a higher level major course on my own. We just had our midterm today and I am confused as to how to proceed. On the midterm that I created, the instructions were to "attempt…
user148813
  • 475
  • 1
  • 4
  • 9
52
votes
11 answers

Why aren't more research papers/textbooks written in a "thought process" style?

This may be a weird question, but I often wonder why the default way of writing about a given methodology is describing the method as if it "fell out of the blue". Admittedly, not all research work is written like this and perhaps this is not an…
user3653908
  • 673
  • 5
  • 8
52
votes
3 answers

Why do publishing scams use "lҽttҽr ѕubstitυtҽs"?

I get plenty of scam mail, but the scam mail from predatory journals has a unique habit of using odd substitutes for normal roman letters. For example; You Are Inᴠіtҽd to Pυbliѕհ Your Original Ɍҽsҽαrch with Us Other scams don't do this. They just…
Clumsy cat
  • 6,926
  • 2
  • 27
  • 37
52
votes
9 answers

Advice on publishing original theorems with easy proofs

I got a rejection recently on a short paper that gave a fairly short proof that a conjecture of a well-known mathematician was false. The reviewer said that “while the results are new and interesting,” “the proofs are fine, but not very difficult,…
mbsq
  • 1,185
  • 10
  • 13
52
votes
12 answers

Is it still possible to get a decent job in academia (specifically physics) nowadays?

I am an American high schooler considering what to do in university. I am immensely interested in theoretical physics, and I would quite like to become a professor in the subject (I've self-studied quite a bit of it; while I'm no master, I can still…
John Dumancic
  • 551
  • 1
  • 4
  • 9
52
votes
19 answers

When should a professor recommend a student drop out of college?

I am a college professor, and sometimes I learn of a student's career goals. I think some should drop out despite having good grades. If they do not learn much (because they are advanced or because they do better on their own), or if a degree will…
user238564549
  • 537
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
52
votes
5 answers

Can I put an invited talk on my CV if the conference was canceled?

I was invited to give a talk at an important conference, which has now been canceled due to coronavirus. Can I still list the fact that I was invited on my CV, with a parenthetical note? It's not the same as if I turned down an invitation or failed…
Frustrated academic
  • 509
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
52
votes
7 answers

Should I agree to review papers as a postdoc?

I am a post doc in mathematics, and was just sent a request to review a paper. This is the first time it happened to me. I never heard of this journal before, but it is a Springer journal, and upon checking the editorial board it looks like a…
the L
  • 1,357
  • 10
  • 19
52
votes
5 answers

Can I submit a paper under an alias so as to avoid trouble in my country?

I have done research on a topic that is very sensitive in my original country. I want to submit a paper to a (well-rated) Computer Science conferences, but I do not want to use my real name or university at all (neither for submitting nor…
N Morad
  • 523
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
52
votes
6 answers

PhD student with mental health issues and bad performance

One of my PhD students told me during a supervisory meeting that they have been struggling with anxiety and depression and self-referred to the university psychological support. They asked me not to share with anyone and I didn’t. Moving forward…
electrique
  • 7,514
  • 9
  • 34
  • 43
52
votes
9 answers

Given 0s on Assignments with suspected and dismissed cheating?

Basically, I coded several assignments and a friend turned in code which looks almost identical. I didn't give him my code, and, as far as I know, he didn't even have any way to access it - but it happened somehow. Anyway, the professor said that he…
zapshe
  • 553
  • 1
  • 4
  • 7
52
votes
6 answers

Should I warn new/prospective PhD Student that supervisor is terrible?

My supervisor got some funding and is hiring new PhD students. Today one of them came to an interview and we told him about the things that we do. The main problem is that my supervisor is a terrible supervisor. He wants to lead the research project…
AnonimousPhD
  • 831
  • 1
  • 8
  • 7
52
votes
6 answers

How should I respond to a reviewer's complaint about self-citation?

Recently, I submitted an article and got a response from a reviewer that I cited 6 of my own articles out of 44. The reviewer said that it’s a cheap act of self promotion. If I do not cite my own work, how can I expect others to? Is it bad practice…
Mohaqiq
  • 5,103
  • 3
  • 28
  • 52
52
votes
10 answers

Is asking your PhD supervisor a basic question considered inappropriate?

I've done my Master's degree in Computational Mathematics. Then, because of several reasons, I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in the field of Quantum Chemistry. The problem is, obviously, my lack of knowledge in this area. I'm studying, but even in my…
Eenoku
  • 2,178
  • 2
  • 15
  • 23
52
votes
13 answers

Is it possible to start a PhD at 36 without taking a huge hit financially?

I'm currently working as a Senior Engineer (Mechanical) for a large company. However, I am increasingly finding the work to be dull and lacking in challenge. I don't think I can bear to spend the next 20-30 years like this - I feel that I am not…
Time4Tea
  • 1,542
  • 1
  • 11
  • 27
1 2 3
…
99 100