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Is the "okay" hand gesture now unacceptable to use in class?
While teaching a class last week, I made the widely-recognized hand gesture (an open circle with the thumb and index finger, with the other 3 fingers loosely or sharphy extended... I'm not sure exactly how mine looks, as it's like muscle memory and I don't consciously think about the exact shape I'm making) while simultaneously saying "okay...". I can't remember the full sentence but it was something related to the math course I'm teaching.
Now I suddenly learn that it means "white power" to some people (some Americans). To make matters even worse, I'm white, and I make a very similar-looking symbol while indicating 3 things (some use the middle 3 fingers for this; but I've always done it the other way) or counting to a number between 3 and 5 with my fingers.  Good heavens!
Would I possibly get into administrative trouble for doing this, if a student were to report it?

That entirely depends on the rules and regulations of your institution (I highly doubt you could get in trouble for an innocent gesture, though, unless you actually are a proponent of "white power").

Answers to "Would I possibly" questions are almost always positive. The better questions are "how likely" and "how serious trouble". Accusations generally tend to cause trouble, whether or not they are founded; but the total number of cases in which the trouble was serious and permanent (for reasons as trivial as yours) is rather small (in the US, I could name 2-3 at most; Canada is worse). I suspect the OK-sign panic will be gone the way of the dinosaurs in a year or two, but in the process I have no idea how much havoc it will wreak (most of it, probably, outside academia).

Note that everything that is happening is happening just according to keikaku: The "white power" meaning of the gesture was invented by 4chan /pol/ in the first place, probably with the exact goal of causing a moral panic.

Incidentally, Wikipedia suggests this gesture has various other (pre-existing) meanings in different cultures, some of them offensive.  If you plan to do much international travel (which many academics do), you might want to try to get out of the habit of using this gesture anyway.

In some cultures that is a bit offensive, representing something else that is round and offensive :)

It may have started as a joke, but it got this guy suspended from duty: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45535715 (google shows many other media reports of the incident)

I wonder why nobody said so already: Add info on your country to the question. The question would not make any sense if asked in some countries.

'Thumbs up' has in some countries about the meaning of 'the finger' ('sit on that'). There is probably no gesture that hasn't this risk, so if you want to be sure, don't use any ever.

The whole "White-power" hand sign started as a joke from 4chan or something like that. It was kind of a ploy to get the more gullible liberals all worked up for nothing. It was kind of laughable at first. However, it would seem that it's becoming more and more accepted as an actual WP symbol. I believe that some white-supremacist groups have even ended up adopting it. Still, I wouldn't worry about it as long as it doesn't seem as if you are actually pushing the agenda.
You could always swap it for "thumbs up" or, my favorite, good ol' finger guns.

+1 for thumbs up, even if you're at my school, because Gig 'Em.

At my kids' school, you would get in trouble with the hand guns.

In some cultures, "thumbs up" is an offensive sexual gesture.

Quite aside from the ridiculous white power thing, you might want to consider not using that gesture, as it's easily misinterpreted. Wikipedia says:

it's offensive in parts of central and southern Europe;
it can mean "zero" or "worthless" in France and Belgium;
in various Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern and South American countries, it denotes the anus generally, can mean "You're an asshole!" and can be homophobic;
it also has associations with the female genitals;
in Arab countries, it represents the evil eye and is used as a curse;
Wikipedia's a bit vague about its use in American Sign Language, where it seems to have a number of different uses, some of which are claimed to be offensive.

Sure, any hand gesture has the potential to be offensive to someone1 and most people will realise you're not trying to be offensive if you make one of these gestures in a non-offensive context while not looking offensive, you're probably not being offensive. Still, the okay gesture does seem more likely to cause confusion ("Why is he looking happy and saying 'asshole'?") than other gestures.
1 Thumbs up has negative meanings in some places; gesturing "two" by extending the first and second fingers vertically with the back of the hand towards the viewer means "f*** off" in the UK, etc.

@NajibIdrissi OK but it's still potentially confusing if you "say" OK and your audience "hears" zero.

It's fine.  Don't keep such track of the latest silliness.  Let it pass.
I do think it is a bit informal.  That is if the teacher calls on you, you should answer him directly.  But signalled across a laboratory or the like, I would have no issue with it.

OP seems to be the teacher.

As you are teaching maths, then it’s fine when used in conjunction with the material, ie having just completed an exercise with simultaneous equations and asking if it was understood.
However, if you are teaching politics or examining causes of racial tension in a sociology type subject then I would suggest no.
Also, in some countries the "Thumbs up" gesture is not considered polite either... "sit on this..."

Good point about the importance of context.

It's just an 'okay' sign.  Unfortunately, it seems the reality is that it may be increasingly inappropriate to convey this gesture.
At the very least, it opens the opportunity for misinterpretation and perhaps should be avoided for this reason alone.
In this day and age, it can be wagered that someone will jump on the chance to be offended by the continued use of this gesture.
It should be okay to make the okay sign, though.  It should be.


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Is it self-plagiarism if I am up-front about similarities?
I am writing a paper which expounds on a portion of a previous paper that I got published.
If I did not even mention the previous paper in my new one, I'm fairly certain this would be seen as trying to pass off old work as new (unethical).
However, in the introduction of the new paper, the beginning of the relevant section, and throughout the relevant section, I am very up-front about the similarities to the old paper, with many citations. Also, there is no copy/paste from the old paper.  Some phrasing may be similar in places, but only because I happened to write both papers.
Am I safe submitting the new paper to a journal?

What percentage of your paper is new? Not just new phrasing, but new ideas and insights, new research, new conclusions?

(Comment not an answer since I’m pretty sure this is a duplicate question.)  There are two main issues to consider: plagiarism, and the journal’s expectation of original content.  If you are being clear about referencing any re-used material (either verbatim or paraphrased), as you say, then you are not committing plagiarism or so-called self-plagiarism.  If when you discount that re-used material there is enough original material in the new paper to meet the journal’s standards for original content, then yes, you are fine to submit.

It sounds like you are on safe ground.  Moreover, if you are merely replicating previous results for context, it might not even be necessary to repeatedly cite the original paper at each step.  You could simply cite the original paper up front, explain that you are extending it, and that some results are repeated for context and completeness.  So called "self-plagiarism" involves an attempt to "pass off" your old work as new work, so check your paper to see if this is occurring.  From what you have described, you should be fine.

As long as the new paper extends the prior one, presents new data or analysis, and you cite properly, you are fine. It is best to pretend you did not write the prior work and cite accordingly, because you assume no special status even though you authored it. This would only become problematic if you attempt to pass off the same work (even if edited) as a distinct novel work.

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Finished a research paper and feel horrible now
We've all heard of postpartum depression, though I'm not a woman so I have no idea what it's really like.
I am wondering if there is any medical/psychological evidence to support similar (reported) feelings after the completion of a big research project.
This is my (I'm the sole author each time) fourth time sending a paper to a journal after spending countless hours working to finalize the draft.
 This typically involves a frenzy at the end where I work 12 hours a day trying to perfect the paper. This is in addition to the stress incurred while actually creating the research  (in my case, mathematics) in the first place.
Each time I finish a paper, including my most recent, I have feelings of emptiness  and anxiety.  I'm not here for medical advice, I'd just like to know if anyone is aware of some scientific basis for these emotions.

There's a phenomenon among grad students commonly called "post-qual slump" and I don't see why the same shouldn't happen at other levels.

Have you tried not doing 12h/day at the end? If you spread out the work more, you might avoid having to deal with (or ameliorate) a behavioral and emotional swing from one day to the next. Basically, I think there's a link between stress/sleep deprivation/overworking oneself, and rapid emotional shifts, or even depression.

I think this general phenomenon is pretty common. My partner calls this "post-strike depression" from her time in theater ("strike" being taking down the set at the end). I used to regularly be depressed at the end of a teaching semester. Regular daily schedule, exercise, staying active helps.

One possibility is that you may have underlying depression or aren’t feeling fulfilled in other areas of your life — those feelings are masked by your long days of rigorous work and when that work is done the mask comes off.

Perhaps you need a coworker, with whom you can reflect on your work?

I don't have a name for it, or a scientific basis, but I experienced exactly what you are describing: a general numbness/boredom that lasted a couple of weeks after seeing a paper published - everything was pretty hectic up until that point.
My guess is that this is due to something called 'lifestyle changes' (also a hypothesised contributor to postpartum depressions) - your life changes almost instantaneously upon submitting a paper. Before that you were totally hyped up, working really long days, getting by on the fear that things wouldn't work out and the adrenaline when it turned out they would after all. And then when you're done you are exhausted and all your previous drivers (that all related to getting your research project done) are gone. You have to recuperate and you have to find something new to live for (next project? family? a little bit of Mozart maybe?).
Good luck!

This isn't exactly what I was asking for, but you captured my experience perfectly.  The adrenaline rush when doing new math and writing it up.... it is very  real. I suspect there could be some withdrawal symptoms from that.  I'll go for a run tomorrow!

Perhaps you could quickly find something else to get involved with, at a more liberal place. The brain is very "hungry" and can cause you to "act out" when it doesn't get what it wants. But some light tasks and a little bit of physical involvement (outdoors, indoors, but not indoors studying) may help.

Post coital tristesse is the correct analogy.  I know what you mean about the paper.   I experience some after a big project or sports match or even a presentation.  You've been all keyed up and then you let down.
One thing I find helps is to always have a couple or more pubs in progress.  Just electronic file with major headings and basic intro and a little on expected conclusions.  Doesn't matter if the research changes because it is so easy to edit in the non typewriter era.  And I go over stuff hard so not worried about errors creeping through.  Actually I find that doing some writing in parallel with investigation helps motivate the research or even make me reflect a little when working.

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When to give up and ask the research community?
While reflecting on my last research paper (currently in the hands of a referee) I discovered a closely related pair of problems that, as far as I can tell from published record, nobody else has considered.

For those interested in topology, the problems concern a property of
  first-category continuous images of the half-open interval of reals.
  The property has previously only been of interest in compact spaces,
  but I want investigate for other classes of spaces.

A solution to one or both would make for a nice paper I think.  I've been thinking about them for a couple of weeks with basically no progress.
Should I just tack the problems at the end of my research paper (give up?), or keep them to myself and hope to eventually solve one?

You should describe them at the end of your paper in the hope of attracting collaborators, thereby increasing your chances of finding a solution.

This is a type of question that you could ask on MathOverflow.
In my experience, one of the best uses of MO is if you have a "research level" question that (i) you want answered, and you're not particular about how and (ii) you think "Probably[/maybe/I wonder if] someone with the right expertise could solve this almost immediately."
If both of the above apply, I would encourage you to ask on MO.  On the other hand, if you want to keep maximal control over your involvement with the question and its solution, less wide disbursement is probably best.  (Most of my own MO questions have been things that come up in my research but are not exactly the questions I am trying to solve in order to write my next paper.) If you really see yourself getting a paper out of these questions, I would vote for spending more than two weeks thinking them over.

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Do I need to embargo my dissertation if I submitted portions to journals?
It seems that most math journals, including the one I'm submitting to, are very forgiving when it comes to preprints (ArXiv).  But what about dissertations? Will they consider it previously published material?

In maths? Pretty surely not. (To precise "pretty surely" somewhat: Journals who would dismiss papers published in a dissertation will quickly lose their reputation once this behavior gets known.) Note that I am talking about mathematics journals here.

Up until just a few years ago, the vast majority of first papers of mathematicians were based on their thesis work.  With this culture in mind, the idea of a thesis as a "prior publication" seems bonkers.  (Note that in many other STEM fields the order is reversed: you know you have a thesis when you have published enough papers.)  Maybe you can find a math journal somewhere that has a problem with this...but maybe you can't.  For sure it is nothing to worry about.

Most journals clearly state what is allowed for authors and what is not. Could you provide the name of the journal?

The general answer is: No, journals don't consider dissertations as previously published materials.
Some exceptions (that I don't know), may exist. If you want to be sure, here's a two things you can do:
1-Verify the instructions to authors.
2-In your letter to the editor that accompanies your submission, state clearly that this manuscript will be part of a dissertation.

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Why do some articles recite/repeat known concepts?
I am currently reading a paper which devotes a section to reciting key valuation basics in finance, such as the time value of money and DCF analysis.
The paper goes so far as to explain the methodologies and historical significance of the valuation techniques. What is the point of a paper reviewing well known and understood literature? Isn't it entirely redundant?
To be clear, the paper was not an actual literature review.

Even research papers are written for specific audiences.

Thanks - I was mostly confused because the paper ends by suggesting future areas of research which could be investigated, which lead me to believe it was more suited to an audience familiar with the theory/in financial academics.

Looking at the journal also helps figure out motivations. If you want to publish in a more general journal, then you'll almost always have to add more supporting material that you can leave out when publishing in a more focused journal.

To be honest, I often ask the opposite of this question - why didn't the authors of an article I'm reading make it more self-contained? (page limits aside) If you're trying to read an article in a new field, it's quite frustrating to have to find and read ten other papers before you can read the one at hand, particularly when some of those other papers turn out to be either (a) not as well written as the paper of interest, or (b) full of lots of other stuff that's tangential to what you really care about. YMMV.

Not everyone who reads a paper is going to be in your field and have the same background no matter how basic it might initially seem. In researching literature, I often come across sociology, economics, history, etc, papers. That initial regurgitation in a paper might seem really obvious to sociologists, economists, and historians, but it isn't necessarily so obvious for me (and nicely tends to give references if I feel the need for further background knowledge).
It also helps out people in the field, especially when they're not as current on the specific topic (when was the last time a scholar of modern American theater read Beowulf? Likely graduate school). It helps for understanding the approach used as well as seeing the paper's context, relevance, and importance within the field. Even at a basic level, when someone recaps a plot/situation in a single paragraph for me, it's enough to jog my memory and save me from needing to pull the book back out and read a hundred pages just to follow the paper.

I quite often asked this question myself but realized that much of the works out there simply are not focused for those fluent in the field. Granted, that doesn't mean someone from the field can't read it; it's more of a factor that the work is meant to appeal to people outside of the field too.
For instance, a document explaining how to use a piece of software, while it will obviously be rudimentary to people who use the software, the "John Does" of the world might not even understand the point or some of the spicy terminology. The software could be something like Microsoft Paint (where the use-case is at least somewhat intuitive) all the way to complex software development software such as NetBeans, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA. Think of it this way: If I wrote a paper on how software is made but I use what are basic terms (such as compiler, IDE, etc.) to me, would you be able to understand what is going on in the work?
I would argue that having such details on some of the concepts may help people such as new learners to the field or even spark the interest of those who were not previously interested in the field. Reading works of others when I was much younger has prompted me to take up the field I've taken now.
I rambled a bit, so I'll summarize. It is because those not as fluent in the field will likely read the work or in the event that someone such as that does, the work can at least assist them to understanding basic concepts and terms used within the work.

In addition to the other answers, it is often the case that commonly used terminology is actually rather imprecise, or may have related but distinct definitions.
For example, in astronomical science, there is still no real agreement on what the word "planet" means.  If you are writing a paper about planets, you would do well to say which definition you are using.  The same applies to a surprising number of other fields, and it is often easy to think the definitions are more settled than they are.  Scientists often address these issues simply by not using the problematic word in a technical manner (e.g., if you are writing about Kuiper Belt Objects, it doesn't matter if Pluto and Eris are planets or not), but this is not always possible.
Devoting a small amount of space at the front of a paper to state a few key definitions, then, is often useful for making sure that the paper does not run into trouble with a reviewer or reader who may disagree with your definition.  That way, you set a working definition up front, and even if they disagree with your definition, they can understand and agree with the actual technical content of the paper.

+1 And probably triply necessary for (potentially) polemic terms. I had a paper once where I had to reference a specific branch of feminist theory known as radical sex feminism and being a guy, I definitely needed to clear up exactly what that meant and also to show I wasn't inventing some pejorative term since it's not exactly among the most commonly known/mentioned branches of feminism

I actually wasn't referring to this because it makes sense for the sake of clarity and accuracy.
In my instance, the author went to devote three separate paragraphs on elementary and completely unambiguous concepts in Finance.  At that point I felt the paper was more a textbook than a paper!

Apart from the usual cover-up to target wider audience and to illustrate base concepts, the overly obvious content is added as space fillers if the novel aspect of the paper seems to small in volume.
I've seen this on too many papers to count: definition and illustrations of neural networks, ad hoc infrastructure, basic security framework, even general use applications and editors. This generally occurs if the paper proposes only a minor improvement over the existing literature.


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Contacting multiple professors for supervision
I am an Honours student in the process of contacting professors and senior lecturers to request supervision/joint supervision.
So far, I had been in contact with a pair who were more than happy to supervise me, but after a meeting or two with them, I felt that
1) we probably would not click
2) their area of research, whilst on the outset seemed similar to my interests, is quite different.
So with that said, I have also been in contact with another pair.
These two seem extremely nice and supportive. I feel their research interests/expertise is more closely aligned with mine and that I would probably be better suited to working with them.
This is in Australia, so the semester will begin in about 3 weeks, and final supervisors are chosen in late march/early april - so I still have lots of time.
I wanted to know - should I flat out tell the first two academics that I am speaking to other academics, and may not end up going with them, even though the second set of academics are not confirmed supervisors?
Did I do anything ethically wrong? I feel bad for having had the first two (potential) supervisors have a phone/skype meeting with me + send me all their papers/manuscripts, if it was all in vain.
Finally, to add, would it be wrong to ask the first set of academics if I could be a TA for any of their classes, knowing that there's an 80% chance I won't be going with them as my supervisors?
Any advice is appreciated.

By ask the first set of academics if I could be a TA for any of their classes, you probably send a message that you want to be their student.

You should definitely shop around before selecting a research supervisor.  This is expected.  You do not need to declare it.  Just do not make commitments to more than one research team.  It is part of the faculty's job to compete to recruit honors students.  But prospective students have no responsibility to work for faculty until they agree to do it.

It is certainly polite to let the people involved know that you are shopping around, and haven't made a decision yet.


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How much should I refer to an anonymous reviewer's extremely helpful revisions?
I am in the enviable position of receiving an anonymous review from an extremely knowledgable member of my academic community and am incorporating all of their excellent suggestions into my article.  Quite rightly, I want to flag the examples and suggestions they have provided me with, but at what point does this get embarrassing and look like sucking up?  I don't want too many footnotes with, "with thanks to an anonymous reviewer for this..." but at the same time I don't want to pass of their extensive knowledge as my own.
It's minor revisions and the editors have said they will not be sending the article back to the reviewers.  So I'm not including their suggestions because I have to appease a reviewer, but because they're actually great bits of wisdom.

The obvious solution would be a respectful one-liner in the acknowledgement section. What is not satisfactory about this solution to you?

@Alexis (+1) I'll add: You could go further and explain what particular aspects they helped improve. (There's no need for footnotes throughout, just an acknowledgement at the end.)

An ack is all that is needed. "Thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions, many of which were very helpful". Don't try to point out where those suggestions occur or your paper will be difficult to read. You retain full "ownership" of the paper so write it like it is the work of a single mind. The reviewer almost certainly sees it that way.
About one time out of, maybe, ten thousand or so, a reviewer's comments are so helpful that the nature of the paper changes and it becomes appropriate to find a way to work with the reviewer as a co-author.

I agree with the suggestions of a single acknowledgement rather than a multitude of footnotes. But you might consider putting the acknowledgement not at the end of the paper but at the end of the introduction, where readers will encounter it before encountering the things the referee contributed. Also, I would include in the acknowledgement a list of specific places where the referee made a significant contribution. For example: "I thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions. In particular, I thank one of the reviewers for suggesting Examples 3 and 8 and Corollary 5, as well as for simplifying the proof of Theorem 22."

Dmt, the peer review comments and suggestions are a gift to you. They are given to you to help improve your article as a gift. Reviewers volunteer their time and expertise as a contribution to their academic field. You are allowed to do with it what you will.
An email to the editor thanking the reviewer specifically is another option. As others have said, highlighting specific aspects that the reviewer improved in the acknowledgement is enough.


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A journal asks me "Do you want to get recognition for this review on Web of Science?" Anonymity and benefits?
Recently, I submitted a review to a major journal in my field.  They asked me during the submission process, "Do you want to get recognition for this review on Web of Science?"
How does this work?  Specifically, how does anonymity work and what are the benefits of getting this recognition?

I don't see how anonymity would be preserved in such a case. It seems unusual to me.

If you create a profile on Web of Science, they maintain a profile, where you can let add your reviews. This service has been provided previously by Publons, so the following questions are linked:
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/94541/publons-is-it-a-serious-thing
https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/94309/is-it-worth-creating-a-profile-with-publons

Might as well get some small amount of credit for it if you are going to do a review.  It will just say on your Publons profile (or whatever it's called) that you have carried out X number of reviews for journal Y.  It might also say if those reviews are recent.  It doesn't provide any information apart from that so I don't see how anonymity is breached.  If you state on your CV that a reviewer for journal Y, I guess this is a way of verifying this.

The system I am familiar with links reviews to ORCID and display it on ORCID and/or WoS/Clarivate (formerly Publons). You can choose the settings, but generally only the name of the journal and the number of reviews are displayed publicly (after the reviews have been completed), so confidentiality is kept.
As for benefits: for me, it counts for my performance review and hence for tenure. (I think I could also allocate a certain number of working hours to it.) If you are an early career researcher, you could ask your department of the value of keeping track of your reviewing activities via ORCID.

Typically, this works by the publisher submitting information to the reviewer recognition platform (ORCID provides another one) that can be displayed in your profile on the platform. What information is provided depends on the journal, so you may want to pay attention to what you agree to. In general, the default seems to be just the year of the review and the name of the journal, which would preserve anonymity unless they handle exceptionally few papers each year. It's unclear to me whether there is any real career benefit, but if your CV lists journals you've reviewed for, these services can provide an easy way to verify a subset of that information.

You can use it as evidence that you are active in reviewing for journals.   This may lead to being invited to join the editorial board of a journal.

It may even help being cited if people in your field know you do a lot of reviewing, if they believe you are more likely to be positive if you cite them.

As a statistical reviewer, I get paid for my reviews. Making those reviews visible may lead to more work.  For a volunteer reviewer, it could lead to more work as well, which might help the person get tenure, or a job at the journal, or whatever.
Anonymity only seems to have any benefit for a very negative review. You likely review things in your specialty. The authors may also be reviewers. One day, they might review something of yours. Even if they aren't consciously out to get you, there could be unconscious biases.

The "recognition" is offered because the journal thinks you will do more volunteer peer reviews if they give you internet points.  It's the same thing as how Stack Exchange thinks you will post more useful answers if they give you internet points.
The "recognition" is completely useless for performance reviews and promotion processes.  Just tell your employer how many reviews you did for each journal.  There is no need to involve Web of Science.
Web of Science offers this web platform because they want to have more control over academia's prestige system.
This answer does not apply to paid reviews (which are rare and described in https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/200562/13240).


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Graduating a year early?
I'm considering graduating a year early and I'm having a bit of a hard time making the decision. I'm going to be as specific as possible so that I can get the best advice possible, so sorry if this becomes a bit lengthy.
I'm going into my third year as an undergraduate, majoring in mathematics. Here is a list of courses I have taken:
Calculus III, Intro to Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Modern Algebra I, Advanced Linear Algebra, Modern Algebra II, Discrete Math, General Topology, Real Analysis I, Real Analysis II, Algebraic Topology, Complex Variables, Abstract Algebra I (a graduate course in Group Theory).
I am currently participating in an REU, and I am attending Math in Moscow in the Fall, where I will (most likely) be taking Algebraic Number Theory, Commutative & Homological Algebra, Riemann Surfaces, and possibly one other course.
I've done a fair bit of reading outside my courses as well: Group Representation Theory, some classical Algebraic Geometry (Fulton's Algebraic Curves, so I haven't been exposed to schemes yet), and Category Theory just to name a few.
Here are the upsides I see to graduating early:

opportunity to take more advanced coursework earlier (my university doesn't have an overly active graduate department, and it's likely that most of my learning would come from independent reading courses if I were to stay)
being in an environment with stronger students will probably force me to develop better as a student

and here are upsides I see to taking a fourth year:

more time to figure out what subject I want to pursue research in
opportunity to have more coursework under my belt before I apply
it might be difficult to apply from Moscow, so I wouldn't have to worry about that

I'd like to hear other people's opinions. I've of course asked my professors first. One is adamant that I should graduate early, he's actually the one who suggested it to me. Another says he thinks I'll be fine either way, it's just a matter of if I want that extra year to prepare.
So according to them, I should be okay. But I can't get the idea out of my mind that I might not get into as good of a graduate program if I graduate early, so I wanted to hear other opinions. Am I just being paranoid?

I suspect things are likely to turn out very well either way. One thing you might consider doing is applying only to one or two "dream" schools, and graduating early if either of them accepts you. Some additional questions you might ask yourself: (1) Is undergraduate tuition a serious burden? (2) Are there any non-math courses you'd like to take while you're still an undergraduate? (3) What do your REU instructors think? (I'd ask near the end of the program.) (4) Are your writing and public speaking skills well developed? These will eventually matter a lot. (5) What, in your gut, do you want?

@Anonymous thanks for the response. Tuition isn't an issue, and there aren't many non-math courses I'm keen on taking. I'll be sure to talk to my REU advisor towards the end of the summer. I really like your idea of applying to a few programs and seeing where I get into before I officially apply to graduate, I'll probably do that.

@Anonymous Can you please turn your comment into an answer so that I can vote for it?

@Anonymous: I'd like to vote for it also, as that was great advice.

You are obviously in a good position either way, but as you suggested, graduating early appears to be your "practical" decision.
If you are considering a doctorate or masters (it sounds as though you are), graduating will allow you to get a head start on it.
However, if you you truly don't know what what graduate degree to pick, and don't decide to go with that, consider doing an independent study with a favored professor or doing some tutoring at your local university, as it would not only contribute to your resume when applying for a masters program, but also give you opportunities to dabble in subjects you find interesting, and ultimately help you decide which field you'd like to master in.


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Pre-submission enquiry taking a long time
Following the journals' protocol, I have sent a pre-submission enquiry to a few journals regarding a manuscript, and have received answers rather quickly (max 1 week). I have always waited for an answer before enquiring from the next journal. Now, I have waited for over a month for a reply from a journal. I have already asked once from an editorial assistant (direct enquiries are not available) whether there is a hiccup in the process that I should be aware of, but she told me that she has not yet received an answer from the editor and will inform me as soon as she has some information.
Now, this waiting period is getting close to the number of days the journal reports as their average number of days to first decision for reviewed manuscripts. It seems a bit unusual that a pre-submission enquiry would take this long to process, as other journals have been rather swift in their decision-making. Is there something I can do? I do not wish to bother the editorial assistant again, but this is a difficult situation for me as I am expected to have this published sooner rather than later for my PhD funding.

Are all the answers you received negative? Is it important to publish in this particular journal?

So it’s getting close to the average - then wait until it gets close to the maximum...

Universities just opened.  As fiverings84 also mentioned below, people were on holiday break and mood.  Lots of partying in December.  Also, the established editor can be on many travels.  It is not easy for an editor to evaluate long wound manuscripts which they do in their spare time aside from their work and lectures.

Keep in mind that many faculty members (like myself) are still on Holiday Break and may not be checking e-mail as often as they would if the semester was in session.
That being said: I would wait until January 21st (which is typically the latest date for a semester to start) and reach out to the editor again (politely, of course).
If you still do not hear anything back, I see no problem in moving onto the next journal. After all, if you do not hear anything back, is this the type of journal you would actually like to submit your manuscript to? It doesn't give me confidence that the journal's review timeline is much better.


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Should the information within a caption be repeated into the main text?
My understanding is that a caption should be here to help someone read a caption independently from the text (without reading the paper/book/etc for example).
This question answers whether a long caption should be part of the main text: Are there guidelines for amount and content of text in figure captions for theses?
However, I didn't manage to find an answer about the repetition between caption information and the main text.
I have been told that all the information I put within the caption should be part of the main text. Whenever I describe a diagram and the technical part in the caption, I don't see how I can organically put it in the main text without plainly repeating everything. Maybe I can reformulate, but in the end, I am just repeating the information from the caption.
Question:
Does the information in a caption of a figure/table need to be present in the main text? (in a paper, book, thesis, ..., )

I doubt there's a formal rule. Your institution may have a style guide for theses that addresses the issue.
For guidance, think about what is best for your reader.
I think the text should contain a full description of the meaning and use of the figure or table, in context, so the reader knows when to refer to it. A brief caption should suffice for the figure or table itself.
The figures and tables should be self documenting: labels for the axes and graphics in a figure, column headings for a table. That information does not belong in the caption.


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Cutoff in rankings for funding in CS PhD programs
I want to do a PhD in theoretical computer science, though I'm still an undergrad. I know I won't be able to pay for a PhD myself--I need full funding if I'm going to do it. I've heard that the stipend you receive varies from program to program, but it seems to me that in general it must be correct that higher ranking CS PhD programs must pay more. My questions is: what is about the cutoff in graduate CS program rankings where you go from fully funded to needing to pay a significant part of the bill yourself? Obviously there are going to be exceptions, but I'm looking for an estimate.

What country are you asking about? Funding regimes vary around thew world.

The amount you get likely depends more on location and cost of living.

I don't think such a thing exists

"It seems to me that in general it must be correct that higher ranking CS PhD programs must pay more". Why? I've never heard of such a system. What country are you asking about?

@BrianTompsett-汤莱恩 The US. Sorry should have mentioned it. Also don't know why I'm getting downvoted. This seems like a perfectly reasonable question given for most people money is the greatest concern.

I'll assume that you are remaining in the US for grad study so this answer will be relevant only there (I suppose). Foreign students in US may have need for particular visas, I think.
In general, you will get funding adequate to live and do a degree, provided that you get accepted into the program and are able to work either as a TA or (less common) an RA. The same is true in math, as well.
Universities with doctoral programs also teach a lot of undergraduates in those same fields. There is a need for more teaching than the regular faculty can provide without some assistance. Otherwise there would be no time for them to do their own research.
So, full funding with no work requirements might be pretty rare, nowadays, though it was more common in the past.
But some students get funded under research grants of professors. Those students serve as RAs, but it does require time and effort.
Most, however, are probably TAs who start out grading undergraduates and/or holding small "recitation" sections for large classes. For someone wanting an academic career, this is actually a kind of benefit since it gives you an entry into teaching, which is almost always a requirement for any academic job. If you TA for a few years you get some experience, but you may also be given an entry level class of your own to teach (with some supervision).
While the amount of the cost of tuition might sound high at a good university, TAs and RAs seldom have to pay any of that. The pay is low, but the additional "perk" makes it worth while.
This is also the reason that most students in the US take more than (say) four years after undergraduate to earn a doctorate. They are spending up to about half their time as a TA. Hopefully not half, but maybe close.
But the TA experience is, itself, valuable for a future academic, even for those who can self-fund their degree without it. And, to emphasize, universities need you to be a TA or such, just to make the whole system work.
So, the "ranking" you need to worry about are the same as the rankings for admission to a good program. The funding, while small, will be adequate.

Thanks for the answer! This takes off some stress. I don't think I will mind TAing because like you said, it seems like valuable experience.


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Submit Similar Content to Two Conferences
Assuming that I have some methodology for monitoring ecological behavior that I wish to publish on, how much overlap is acceptable between an ecological paper and a computational algorithm paper, published at different times?

Actually, think, rather, in terms of how much is unique in the two papers. If each has sufficient novelty and each is independently interesting, then you should be fine.
This is a judgement call, of course, and it might be best to make it a bit conservatively so that no one thinks you are just padding a CV. Likewise, ask yourself if people would think that you just split things that should be said together into two papers for padding the CV.
And remember that it is your judgement call to make, but others will make it also.
In the example you cite, of course, it seems as if one paper is focused on an application and the other on methodology. That seems (to an outsider like myself) to be fine, especially if a deep explanation of the methodology is both interesting on its own and not essential to the application.


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How would you react as a professor if a student has been going to your office hours and does not perform well on an exam?
Say if a student goes to the professor's office hours to get help on class material and homeworks. Then, on test day, the student does not perform well on the test, and turns in the test with some questions not completed in a one hour time period. How would you react and grade as a professor?

The grade wouldn't be affected. The student's performance is their own. I would worry a bit about my effectiveness, and I would probably modify my approach with them in future visits. In particular, I would try to get them to do more exercises to support their learning. In some cases I would suggest a tutoring center if such is available. And there is always the possibility of an undiagnosed learning difficulty that might require specialized professional help.
But you don't say whose perspective this is. If you are asking as a student, then I suggest that you keep going back for more and following whatever advice you get.
But if you are asking as the instructor, then it is more complicated. It is a temptation for new teachers to say more in response to a question than is, perhaps, ideal. Sometimes the best answer to a student's question is a very minimal answer so that they are led to their own insights. A hint, not an answer. Or even a new exercise that will lead them to the insight.
Students too often get the idea that a professor asks questions because they want/need the answers. What they want, actually, is a change in the student's way of thinking and it is the search for the answer not the answer itself that is normally required to get that insight.
Students can, of course, get frustrated if you don't answer their questions. It can be a subtle dance. But sometimes responding to a question with another question can actually get the job done better than providing the answer.
But none of the student-instructor interactions or "extra" help should result in changing grades. The students still need to perform their part of the dance.
I've had to spend a great deal of time with a few students. Initially they stumbled and fell. But sometimes they got over the hurdles that they faced and did well. But it was their work that did it.

This is the answer of a great teacher.

@user111388, thanks. I taught a long time and learned a lot as I went along. I made a lot of mistakes when I started out though.

@Buffy, I agree that it that the student's performance is their own responsibility. However, sometimes professors put a lot of pressure on students on tests. For example, say if there is only a 50 minute time period to complete the exam. Depending on how many questions and parts the exam contains, this may not be enough time to complete in that time frame. Sometimes, professors need to make sure their exams are possible to complete in a certain time period.

I would not know how well you did. Students don't put their name on the exam but their student number. I don't have access to the system that allows me to get their name (and I don't want access). So I grade only the exam and not the person.

You are not invigilating the exam, I presume? Otherwise it would be trivial to look at their sheet and note the number.

@FedericoPoloni yes, it would be trivial, but you are supposed not to do that. And I do not understand why you would want to go against policy in such a way unless you strongly disagree with the policy. It is the same as saying "as a student, it is trivial to look at a classmate's exam and check your answer".

@FedericoPoloni furthermore, the answerer has explicitly written "I do not want access".

It is harder then you think, mainly because of the number of exams and the chaotic time when every student hands in their exam. Basically, I see this system as making it easy for me to not know who I am grading. It is not a guarantee, but it makes it easier for people with good intentions to do the right thing. There is value in that.

It is great that it is anonymous in your institution.

I wish all universities have that policy because if a student does not do well on an exam and has been going to the professors office hours, then professors can easily change there attitude towards the student after that exam, and puts a lot of pressure on the student. I agree though that students need to do there part as well.


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what do you do if you have test anxieties?
What is the best way to resolve test anxieties?

Why disability as a tag?

Would you say you have really good note taking habits?

@Buffy Anxiety and related mental health issues are treated as disabilities at my university; students with a professional diagnosis are eligible for exam accommodations such as extra time and/or a lower-distraction environment.  The tag is appropriate.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, conducted by a licensed mental health professional, does reduce test anxiety.  This is usually used in severe cases.
Students who are told that it is normal to be anxious will feel less anxious and perform better.  Students who are told that being anxious will help them get a better grade also get a better grade than students who are not told that.
Reflecting on why education is important helps students overcome their anxiety.
These strategies are based on experimental evidence.

Do you have an action item for the OP, or just the theoretical background?

Action item: Cognitive behavioral therapy, conducted by a licensed mental health professional.

A few suggestions that helped me a lot:

Review the material after each class. Do some exercises to make sure you've got it clear. Having solid understanding eases off nervousness.
If you have, say, a Chem exam on Thursday, study for that exam at most up to Tuesday. You won't learn anything new on Wednesday anyway, just tire out and get nervous. Yes, you may study for the Math exam on Friday on Wednesday. But go to bed early.
If the nerves get to you, do something else: go for a walk, do exercise, cook, do something that requires your attention.
Be careful with what/when/how much you eat. Some food or drink that disagrees with your stomach (even a bit) will only make anything worse.

Thuesday Did you mean Tursday? ;)

@6005 Tuesday... but I edited it.

+1. Study continuously so that you don't need to cram. Give your mind a rest and your body a workout before an exam. Go in alert and well oxygenated.

Know the material very well.  "Overlearn."
Do lots of practice tests on your own, under test conditions (no breaks, no lookups, time limit, etc.)

Re (1), don't overdo it. It is detrimental. Learn until you feel confident, then stop. And (2) is a good idea, but sometimes hard to organize on your own.

If your tests are anything like music or sports in terms of the stakes, nervousness, etc. I think you will find overtraining can be helpful.  Lowers the stress when mastery is felt.  Also, while there are some small fraction of students that know the material completely and then overdo it, that is probably very rare versus those who say "got it", but really don't when the heat is on and the bullets are flying.

See also this question from same poster:  https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/143815/how-do-you-approach-your-professor-if-you-do-not-understand-or-know-how-do-do-th (I hadn't even looked at it, when I responded.  But it is a rather telling illustration of how material mastery MAY be more the issue rather than performance anxiety.)

Furthermore, 2 is very easy to organize. Buy a drill book on Amazon, compose a mini-test.  Segregate yourself.  Take the test with strict time limit.  Self grade it (you have the answers at a minimum, often worked solutions in drill guides, as well as the text to refer to for methods).  Is it a Euclidean perfectly congruent replication of a test?  No.  Is it a damned good, and simple, and efficacious, approximation of one?  Hell, yes.

For what it's worth, I liked all your suggestions.  Consider mine additions.  But for students that lack mastery (and ESPECIALLY for students that don't even come close to mastery), 1 pertains.  If you know it cold, cold, it is easier. Yes, sometimes you can perform in the clutch without it.  But it's harder and more stressful for sure.

For those who actually have mastery, but still poor performance under "event" conditions (probably a small fraction), method 2 is helpful.  It gets easier to do anything stressful (e.g. landing on a carrier), the more times you practice it.  And even approximate practice can be incredibly helpful versus facing the stress more cold.  (We are not computers, psychology applies.)


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If you had a bad mentor for an REU program, should put that on my resume to get into grad school?
I did an REU research program in my undergraduate college career. However, I had a bad experience because my mentor was not helpful and was very condescending person. I was told too that you worked closely with a mentor or grad student before I even started the program, which obviously did not happen. The program was disorganized that even the grad students did not know that they were suppose to help or guide the undergraduate students in their research, and they were also not helpful. So it was like me doing all the research by myself with no help or guidance. If you did not have a good experience in the REU program, would you still put on your resume in order to get into grad school?

List the experience, certainly, but don't put the fact of a bad experience in any written materials.

Yes, I would include the experience on your resume. You gained research experience. Even a bad REU almost certainly taught you more than an unrelated experience or job. If the topic comes up about your REU experience during an interview, I would talk about what you learned in a positive way. For example, you appear to have learned about the importance of organization during research.
However, I would not list your mentor as a reference. Perhaps you could list on the graduate students you worked with during the REU. Also, do not worry about a lack of publication or presentations from your REU. In my experience as a REU participant and now an REU mentor, few projects result in publications even from well run programs and presentations are largely a function of your program and home university.

Not using the advisor as a mentor might be a mistake. Their disorganization on the REU might be independent of their value as a reference. Use judgement here.

@Buffy That is good general advice. However, the OP noted my mentor was not helpful and was very condescending person. I don't see how organization of the REU would change the condescending nature of the person.

It isn't your fault that you had a bad experience. Put it on your resume for grad school and if asked about your experience during it, you can be honest about it.
Additionally, you now have some perspective on what kind of mentorship you'd like in grad school.


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Is getting into grad school hard for applied mathematics?
I am looking at program for grad school in applied mathematics. If I currently A 3.56 GPA, will it be a challenge to get into grad school?

Which country? What degrees do you have?

In the U.S., GPA is not so much the critical issue as letters of recommendation, and the specific courses you've taken.

I will have a bachelor of science in applied mathematics by December 2020 in a University in the U.S. I want to know for grad schools in the U.S.

https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1560/what-should-we-do-with-the-can-i-get-into-x-program-with-3-xx-gpa/1563

Probably no harder than anything else. You have the appropriate background. All grad admissions is competitive and there are probably more qualified applicants than slots at any given university.
I'd suggest that you cast a wide net when applying, so that your candidate places don't all have the same profile. A few really good places and one or two that you'd be happy at but not among the top few.
Like anyone, you have to make your case for success. Put together a good package with supportive letters of recommendation. The letters need to make a prediction of your success. Also, write a good Statement of Purpose for grad studies and thereafter. Talk about any research experiences, but focus the SoP on the future.
But don't worry much about a specialty within applied math. You will have plenty of time to do that as you take the required advanced courses. The first job is to pass comprehensive exams that are usually required.
And don't be put off by scary talk about 4.0 GPA or perfect GRE requirements. There are a few places where you need to consider such things, but graduate admissions isn't an accounting game. There are plenty of R1 institutions where actual humans have a good shot.

Thank you for your advice. I do have good professors,and I will definitely get recommendations from them.I also do have some research experience from an REU program,and will include that in my Statement of Purpose for grad studies.


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I sent an unupdated version of my MSc. thesis to a supervisor of a PhD project I am applying for
I am being considered for a doctoral position and after what I think it was a very good interview, the project supervisor asked me for a copy of my MSc. thesis. Even though the results of the thesis have not been published yet, he assured me full confidentiality, so I sent the thesis for his appreciation.
Two days after sending the document, I have realized I have sent the wrong version of it. These version was very close to the final one, but with a few minor mistakes, such as grammar and a few misplaced commas, one legend that was partially wrong, and differences in text colour also in one legend.
I really want the position, and I am very afraid these minor mistakes will make me come across as sloppy.
Do you think I should send an email explaining the situation and, likewise, send the "good version" of my thesis? I am also very afraid that this will make me come across as sloppy. After all, I did not make 100% sure I was sending the proper updated version.
What would you do in my situation?
I really appreciate all the help!!!
Thanks!!

Even final published theses can, and do, have errors.
Don’t worry, if the errors are typos etc you will be fine, however if there is a serious error in the theory or analysis then that may be different.

Hi @Solar! Thank you for your feedback! I think the biggest error is that I named wrongly the y-axis labels in two graphs. So, in the text and in the legend of the figure it says, ie.: "data A" is shown, but then the y-axis label says i.e.: "data B". Nonetheless, the figure shown is still related to "data A" and only the y-axis label is wrong. Should I be worried about this then? Apart from this, the errors are only typos. Thanks again!!

Also @Solar , most of the typos are in the results section, which I believe that, together with the discussion, is to where people look most at. Should I be worried about it as well? Thank you so much again for the feedback!!

These sound like typos, which, as SolarMike correctly says, are unlikely to be a problem. Professors are busy, it's hard to imagine they will read the entire document in detail, let alone be concerned about some typos. At the same time, it's probably also find to send a brief (i.e., one-sentence) e-mail with the updated draft.

I think most people have done this at some point, it is unfortunate that it happened when applying for that position. I would send him the updated version with a small explanation stating that it corrects some small grammar/color/graph/ect issues. If he hasn't already read the paper, I'm sure he would like an updated one.


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Is it okay for a lecturer to set an assignment about the products of a company he works for?
I just found out that the lecturer of an undergraduate course I'm tutoring in has given the students an assignment to evaluate a product from the company he works for.  To evaluate it, they need to read articles written by people in his company and write up a report.  They don't have alternative assessment options.  Is this okay?  It feels weird to me, but I suppose there's nothing wrong with it?  I just wish I'd known before because I would have mentioned conflict of interest to them, but we presented the papers as straight research papers (when they were actually written by the same people who sell the product).

It would be ethically questionable if the person who assigns the question gets to benefit from the assignment, directly or indirectly. For example, if students had to buy a product and the lecturer gets a cut of the revenue from his employer. Or if the company later uses student reports to improve the product or its marketing, and the instructor benefits from this.
On the other hand, if it's just an exercise in evaluating articles and writing reports, then what the topic really is doesn't matter all that much. After all, we give homework on all sorts of completely made up and contrived topics; why not use a real-world testcase, in particular if the instructor is familiar with it and can give actual and informed feedback? You might learn more from this example than you might if the instructor made up the documents you have to evaluate, or if you had to evaluate things the instructor is only marginally familiar with.

"if the company later uses student reports to improve the product or its marketing" - if the homework is based upon a real-world test case, this might be hard to avoid, unless the homework is supposed to be kept secret. In my place, various assignments are specifically planned like this (to benefit an external sponsor who in turn provides equipment and context), and it is generally seen as a plus by students due to the practical experience (and possibly even professional contacts) they gain. However, students are told up-front about who is involved how, which does not seem to be the case here.

Yes, I think there is nothing wrong with students learning something by analyzing real companies. There is an ethical issue if the instructor stands to benefit from it. I'll update my answer by that last sentence.

If the students are doing original work such as research on the current market or work to expand or improve the product it would be an issue. If the assignment was something simple and the professor assigned it due to his/her knowledge of the area, it's not as big a deal, but still may be ethically dubious. It's unlikely the students are specifically being exploited as unpaid labor by the professor, but it's still possible they violated the school's guidelines.
Your school should have an ethics policy or guidelines for what constitutes conflicts of interest that you can consult to see if any major rules were broken.

It is unlikely that undergraduates in the field would be contributing anything groundbreaking to the market research of the product. But if it were a graduate class, then, maybe. Based on what you've said, I assume the teacher is just teaching from something he or she knows intimately, which can often produce the best constructive feedback for his or her students.


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What does it cost for universities and colleges in the U.S. to sponsor H1B and why many of them don't sponsor H1B?
From what I learnt, many universities do not sponsor H1B for postdocs and would like their postdoc employee to use OPT and J1. I wonder if there is a quota restriction (but academic H1B is non-cap) or monetary cost for such sponsorship (how much) so that many of them don't want to provide this?
From what I learnt, if there is really something universities have to pay for H1B sponsorship, many international scholars may even be willing to pay it on their end (or deducted from their salary) since the oppotunity of legally working in the U.S. is very important to them. Because of this, I feel like the money shouldn't be an issue.

An internet search will turn up the information you seek.
From https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-filing-fee-summary/ it seems that the total fees come to a few thousand dollars (including attorneys). It may not be legal to pass this on to the applicant, but you will need to dig deeper for that.
However, an H1B sponsor takes on significant legal obligations as well. See https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/immigration/h1b, for example.
I'd guess the latter is more of a deterrent for many universities than the former. The Trump administration complicated the process. COVID complicated the process. We may not be back to the previous normal, but you will need to dig deeper for that as well.

I think there is also just a barrier to doing it the first (few) times - you need HR policies and procedures, a good attorney knowledgeable in H1B requirements, etc. What are the odds the application is successful? How long will it take? What budget pays for it? And so on. Every unanswered question makes it more likely to not venture to start in the first place.

@JonCuster, not to mention the fact that federal policies can change with administrations. Especially when xenophobia rears its ugly head.

For sure - that is just added unknowns. Hiring under (readily available I believe with minimal work) OPT and J1 visas is just more attractive.


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Does anyone look at the transcripts of PhD students when they are looking for jobs?
Although it is generally believed that grades in one's PhD program are deemed as unimportant (so I am not asking whether grades are important for PhD students or not), I still see many PhD students include their GPA in their CV and I guess there might be a reason for them to do so.
I wonder if any company in industry or postdoc admission committee in academia need to look at the transcripts of job applicants (PhD students).

Yes, yes I do. And so does my management. Perhaps sadly, but it is true. If you are barely scraping by on the coursework that will be a problem.

Yes.  It tells us your potential and gives us a better overall picture of you.

When I applied for postdocs and faculty positions (mostly in the US), no one asked for my transcript and I didn't include a GPA or anything in my application materials. I take that to be a clear indicator that no one cares. It may be different for non-academic positions.

I wonder if any company in industry or postdoc admission committee in academia need to look at the transcripts of job applicants (PhD students).

There are 200 million companies globally, so the only possible answer is that some will and some won't. As discussed here, it usually does not make sense to use it for purposes other than internally tracking the students' progress. But as discussed elsewhere, people do this anyway.
If you're asking whether there are any possible reasons for doing so, I can imagine the following:

To verify that they have the degree in question [though you don't need a transcript for this]
To see what kind of courses they took and what they already know [though this discounts whatever they learned in research, which is the whole point of a PhD]
To see if they failed classes or had to repeat classes [also not a good predictor for research]
To compare applicants against one another [but impossible to normalize]

Note also that in some countries, PhDs have no coursework and so there is no transcript to look at.

Industry generally doesn't care after your first job (at your first job, school is the only thing to go on). People put their GPA because they think it looks good. It certainly can and does impress people, but always looks a tad boastful and silly (but don't be too dissuaded if you have a great GPA, because this is a scenario where you need to sell yourself and boast). Schools often can't even easily access the transcripts of people who graduated more than 15 years ago; they only rarely get requested.
Like everyone else, industry does care that your degree is real, but that is often done via a separate verification process that is easier and separate from transcripts. Many will take an official transcript as proof (and many others will take an unofficial one).
Postdocs are a different story. In academia the transcript is obviously much more valued for rating people. Though it's often completely up the the prof doing the hiring. At the official school level, they are mainly interested in verifying your degree in order to give a postdoc title.
By the way, probably the biggest reason GPA's at the doctoral level are ignored is essentially grade inflation. At research schools, many grad classes just give everyone an "A" for showing up. Or even difficult classes will curve everyone to only "A"'s and "B"'s. Because even a mediocre GPA at the grad level can lead to dismissal. Doctoral students are assessed in other ways instead.

In academic mathematics in the U.S., I don't think anyone cares about Ph.D. GPA, even apart from the fact that it is most often meaningless, since in advanced grad courses it hardly makes sense to "assign grades".
Rather, for postdocs, what matters is publication record and letters of recommendation, and to some extent one's research and teaching statements.


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How do the committees think of an international student who is exempt from the English admission requirement(TOEFL) but has poor GRE verbal score?
I am planing to apply for Ph.D programs in Mathematics in U.S.
Since I have studied in U.S. for two years and eligible for TOEFL waivers according to the websites of many math departments, I don't have to retake TOEFL in order to apply. But my GRE verbal score is between 150 and 155, which is less than many applicants who have never studied in English-speaking countries.
I wonder how do the committees think of my case when I don't send my TOEFL scores to the school? Can I increase my chances of being accepted by sending my good TOEFL scores(say 100+) to the math departments which don't require TOEFL scores for my case? Or the committees simply ignore the TOFEL scores sent to them when they know the applicant doesn't have to send them?

Any reason you don't want to re-take GRE?

@scaaahu I will try again but according to many cases of my classmates, GRE verbal score is harder to improve than TOFEL scores. Many of them only take GRE general test for once. I am not confident in myself.

If you meet the requirements of a TOEFL waiver it would be a waste of your time to take this test. I would only worry about the GRE score if there is some sort of minimum admission score for the school you are applying too.
It's better to make sure that your statement of purpose is written in excellent English and that you provide other evidence of academic and research potential. Committees are used to dealing with international students and the challenges of English.

Unfortunately there are no minimum admission scores for GRE on the websites of departments. They don't even give average GRE scores. As I indicated in my comment. GRE verbal is harder to improve and my question is not just about taking TOEFL but also about sending TOEFL scores. Do you think it is helpful for me to send my TOEFL scores?

People often hate to get paperwork they did not ask for. You don't even need to take the TOEFL, they didn't ask for your scores, sending them would be more irritating as they have to think about info they did not ask for. I doubt this helps but you can always contact the admission officers

Would also add this might not only vary from school to school but also from department to department.  If you're really worried you should ask but I agree: a well written statement of interest should be enough.


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Asking for more than three letters of recommendation from four professors to reduce the risk of missing letters?
As we know, graduate schools usually require three letters of recommendation. Some require exactly three and some don't specify this(and even in such cases, it may be still better to submit only three).
Since missing one letter can be really disastrous to applications. I wonder if it is appropriate to filling the information of four professors to request four letters, just to reduce the risk of missing letters.
For example, in the application process, I will fill in four professors' names and email addresses but due to some unexpected situation, only three professors submitted their letters before the deadline. How would graduate school consider this situation?(I think they should have been aware that I have requested four letters)
Will they be happy with the three letters they have already received and never wait for the fourth one, or unhappy because I requested four but one of four professors hasn't submitted the letter?

The two different application management systems that I've used at both a public and private R1 (intensive research oriented doctoral granting universities) don't care once you've hit the minimum required -- the application is marked complete if it meets the minimum number of items in that category even if there are other letters that might be pending.
So it's a good strategy to request more letters than are minimally required because of the strong possibility of professorial flakitude.

+1 for professorial flakitude, which I wish was not a thing

Flaktitude = flaky + attitude? I like it (the word, not the concept)!

Thank you! What's the meaning of R1 and what do you mean specifically by "flakititude" or ""flaky attitude?

Explained R1 inline. Flakitude is being both flaky and  having the affect of flakiness.


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Follow-up email to submit my Cv
I've sent an email to a potential supervisor and I've gotten an email today from the chair of Graduate Studies that says "we would be very pleased to accept you". Now what should I do? in my first email I've just talked about my interest and how it would be an excellent fit to the supervisor's research interests. I think I should send my CV this time, but to whom? The supervisor or The chair of Graduate Studies?

What else did the chair of Graduate Studies say in the e-mail?

@scaaahu In my answer, I though the Chair did just say that, but I agree, the message seems a bit short !

@GautierC The e-mail from the Graduate Studies is very odd. Usually, an admission letter will ask the recipient to acknowledge the offer and would tell the student what to do next, such as how and when to complete the paper work, etc. I think there is something missing in the question

@scaaahu agree. In fact, let's wait for OP, he'll tell us what is it about. But yeah, usually it's like "we are glad to tell you that your blablabla... then you have to fill that and this, and don't forget to be here at 11' for the interview.

I've sent an email to a potential supervisor and I've gotten an email today from the chair of Graduate Studies that says "we would be very pleased to accept you".

That mean the potential supervisor forwarded your email to the Chair of Graduate Studies.

Now what should I do? in my first email I've just talked about my interest and how it would be an excellent fit to the supervisor's research interests. I think I should send my CV this time, but to whom? The supervisor or The chair of Graduate Studies?

Since they want to work with you, the best thing is to ask them about what is next. Send an email to the Chair of Graduate Studies (since it seems it's their job), asking for what is next etc...


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Found startup or finish PhD?
I'm on last year of my Ph.D. However, I got an offer from investors for my project and investor required to full-time work in a new company. Would it be an advantage or a disadvantage to have worked for a couple of years, when continuing Ph.D. again later?

Advantage or disadvantage for what? I presume you will be able to finish your PhD in any case, so you are perhaps talking about some next post-PhD stage, which isn't clear from your question.

If the startup takes too much time and/or goes too well maybe you won't want to / be able to finish.

This isn't a duplicate, but it might offer some insight: https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/114183/75368

Ultimately this is a personal decision, but I'll offer a few things to consider. Depending on your field and your specific research, taking time out might be a large set-back, or not. The world of research won't stand still while you are away and you might get pre-empted by a delay that might wind up to be longer than you first plan for.
Your advisor should also be able to give good advice on this as s/he likely knows the field and what are the prospects of returning smoothly. Your advisor might, also, be willing to wait for you, or not, so it is good to check.
Finally, what do you really want to do with your life? If it is to be an academic, primarily, think harder about finishing. If it is to be an entrepreneur, then the degree may not mean as much to you as taking advantage of the new opportunity. The industry experience might have some, but not likely a lot, of advantage in seeking an academic position later. Not a "slam dunk", anyway.
Finally, make sure that you understand what the conditions would be if you join up with these investors. Are you a full partner, or are you being used? Either is possible in the somewhat messy real world.

Try to have your cake and eat it too.  See if the completion of the Ph.D. can be accelerated (many people spend way too much time on their thesis...just jam that thing out).  Perhaps you can start part time with the startup or defer it (or even get some subtle influence to pull to completion because there is a job waiting).
I am not an academia lover (the converse), but I would be extremely hesitant about busting out of your Ph.D. a year from completion.  That is a lot to walk away from.  Wouldn't do it for a cushy industry job and for a startup (higher risk), it makes even less sense.  Get that Ph.D. done. How good the Ph.D. is, matters much less than if it is done (very digital, not analog). There will be other startups.  But it would be nice to have that degree done.


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Restart a degree program with a fresh GPA
There is a hypothetical situation I've wondered about. When an undergraduate student receives an undesirable class grade, that grade is typically left on their transcript (with the exception of sparing "grade forgiveness" allowances) for the rest of their academic endeavors. Naturally, this allows the student's Grade Point Average to be viewed as a decent reflection of the student's academic aptitude.
It is my understanding that if an undergraduate student leaves a university for some years before finishing their degree program, but returns at a later date, the old class grades will still be on the student's transcript and factored in with the new grades to derive the new GPA for the student. However, this new GPA does not appear to reflect the student's current academic aptitude to me; the student may now have far more experience and skill now than the years before when those old grades were given.
Although I understand that universities typically do not remove select class grades from a transcript, is it common for a university to allow an undergraduate student to simply restart a degree program tabula rasa, with a new blank GPA and no previous class credits?

No. If you want a total wipe, why not go to a different university and start over, without claiming any transfer credits.

One important thing to consider with these "fresh start" programs is that the only place that guarantees honoring them is the institution that grants them.  Your transcripts will still include the previous bad grades (probably with a notation about the forgiveness policy), and employers or other universities or graduate schools are free to consider them however they wish.
That said, most faculty who have sat on admissions committees that I've spoken with weigh past grade problems very little, if at all, as long as they are overshadowed by a solid body of more recent good work.  In that sense, an official "fresh start" isn't really very relevant - outside places are going to get the same info either way.
Obviously if what matters revolves around within-university criteria, or if you only ever need to report your school GPA, this won't be a relevant issue for you.  But if you'll need to send transcripts elsewhere, a "fresh start" won't hurt anything but also isn't likely to change much.

I'm not sure whether it's common, but my university has a policy like this, called Fresh Start.  A student who returns after an absence of at least five years can have their GPA recalculated, omitting all classes with grades of C− or lower.
As far as I know, they still get to keep credits earned for those classes, and those grades still appear on their transcript; they just aren't included in the GPA calculation.

These kinds of "Fresh Start" policies are becoming very common across the United States.

Many schools have a policy known as academic bankruptcy.
Yours might as well.


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May I write a letter to support my girlfriend's application?
My girlfriend and I am in the same college, but different major. She is a law school master student.
She just graduated from the master program and wanted to transfer to juris doctor in the same college.
I am wondering if it is appropriate for me to write the dean of law school a letter in support of her application.
Also, I am not sure what to write in the letter if appropriate. I would imagine saying that I would love to be able to continue studying with my girlfriend in the same college and things like that. Would you have any suggestions?
Thank you in advance!

I have done this for an ex-girlfriend. The recipient was a "friend" colleague of mine. I did not mention the fact that the recommended person was girlfriend, but just that I knew her very well and I was sure about her being serious and hard worker, which was the true. I made clear that I couldn't evaluate her in a more scientific way, though. Depending on the situation, this might inspire you. Of course in my case it was lot easier. Our discipline was, in a broad sense, the same. We had not real contact or interest at the moment I wrote that infornal letter -it could have been a mail or a call

You are "allowed to", but you would disserve her by doing so, for several reasons. First, unless by some chance you are a relatively senior person in her field, your opinions on her prospects for success are of little interest to people making admissions decisions. Second, the very fact that she would have no one more helpful than you to write a letter for her would signal to the admissions committee that she is not a good candidate. In fact, her apparent willingness to have such an unhelpful and inappropriate letter writer would signal a serious misunderstanding on her part about "how things work".
No doubt: don't do it. You "can" do it, but it would harm, rather than help, her case, in a huge way. There are indeed certain quasi-unspoken rules, if you like... and, whether or not one likes it, the game is played by rules not set by the novice players... and not so easily changed by any of them.

I think it would be a bad idea, actually. Letters supporting applications normally come from professors or employers.
The institution is interested in her prospects for success as represented by her previous record and what people in a position to evaluate those prospects have to say. Your personal relationship actually gets in the way of that.
At best it would be noise in the application process. At worst, they might look at her in a less favorable right.
Ethically, you would have to reveal your relationship and that would make it a bit awkward. Wish her well in her application, but keep out of the process.

Just say no.  No, it's not appropriate.  This is not even close.  She might as well ask her mother to write the LOR.  "She was such a good girl growing up."
It's possible it might not get discovered but if it is, I expect it would (should!) quickly tank her application before most admissions committees.  She needs to find references who can speak to her qualifications without this obvious conflict of interest.

You may. But is it going to help? Usually, the recommender has a higher qualification than the person to be recommended. Apparently, this is not the case in your situation. Also, it would seem that personal distance is a factor as well -- of course one recommends friends and family members. In my opinion, the recommender should be related to the person to be recommended on a professional level. And finally, I doubt that it being nice and convenient if your girl friend could continue her studies is the reason for recommendation they are looking for -- it should be more about skills and experience.
As to what belongs into a letter of recommendation, there are several samples you can find on several help pages. In my opinion, the items mentioned above are the most important:

Where do you know the person from and how long? (Work, school, university, ...)
What is your relationship to the person? (Teacher-Student, Boss-Employee, ...)
What are the qualifications of the person and why can you recommend her?


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How to get in a Master program in Applied Maths coming from a Physics Background
I am having a big problem finding a master program in mathematics for which I can apply. My background briefly:
I grew up in Brazil. I started learning physics and mathematics as autodidactic in high school. When I started college in physics, I already knew the whole content of the bachelor degree, plus master subjects (quantum field theory, general relativity, etc). Before that I did a proof for a master program and passed, but was not admitted because I needed the Bachelor. In the following 6 years I had to attend classes and make graduate coursework in a Brazilian university. I earned my physics degree in 2015, and moved to Germany in the beginning of 2016 to live with the other half of my family here.
I learned about the Bologna process and the importance of a master degree for the first time in my life. In the beginning of the third of the six years of college in Brazil, I had decided not to go through with academia, but had to finish the degree to have what is called a "superior education" in Brazil and have better chances in any job market. Here on the other hand I finally discovered applied maths and it's applications to industry, and felt in love with it.
But I find four big obstacles to being accepted in any master course:
1- Having a physics and not mathematics bachelor
During the college, I didn't have to open a book of college physics. This gave me much time to study subjects of mathematics, as Analysis, Abstract Algebra and Group and Representation Theory.
But, as much as I have already the pre-requisite knowledges to a master program, they won't be recognized because I don't have them in my academic records.
2- Having earned a grade in Brazilian system, which is considered very bad in international grading system.
I was always the best student in every class I took in my life. I had always the best results in examinations. But in the Brazilian system, the results in examinations do not matter a lot: people loose many points if they do not watch all lectures or do not do all the exercises. I couldn't do any of this because I worked full time to survive together with the college, both in daily time. Plus, I never in my life heard that a better grade would have any use. A grade in Brazil is exclusively a passing criteria, and no employer or graduate program takes it seriously. My final grade was 72%, I was ranked second in my peer group, but with this seems like I can't be accepted in any university in the EU.
3- I only have one recomendation letter. I didn't want to follow academia and research, and this would be the only reason in Brazil to commit to research programs and be in contact with researchers. Also, it is not allowed to do so while having a job.
4- I don't have any money. I figured out that the perfect solution for that would be to make a distance learning master and work during the day where I currently live. But this makes the possibilities more restricted. Having to attend a presential full time university, I don't even know how would I pay for rent.
Anyway, I am sure that if I could take courses in mathematics I would have very high grades in european system and would be able to proof my potential. I haven't found any university in Germany which offers this possibility though.
My general question is: how can an autodidactic go for a career in mathematics? I just want any possibility at all that does not involve starting a whole new bachelor again.
Thanks in advance fellows

Because of your financial situation it sounds like you will need to either gain full time admission to a masters program that includes a scholarship offer
or
Attend part time while you work
Many admissions officers will not be familiar with the Brazilian grading system. In addition to enclosing your transcripts and cover letter, submit proof (if it is not already on your transcript) of your impressive class rank. Use your cover letter to further explain you academic history.
You may need to prove some of what you learned as an autodidact in order to demonstrate your preparedness for the graduate programs you apply to. Either produce research or find a relevant test that you can use to prove your knowledge. If there is not a standardized test relevant to any alleged deficiencies in your knowledge base (judging you based on transcripts) ask the school you are applying to for the right to take a final exam of a capstone bachelor level math course to help prove your knowledge base.
You will have to prove to the schools you are applying to what you learned as as autodidact. If you can do that you may be able to gain admission without the need to take more undergraduate coursework

I have a question about the part time thing. When I make a course that have, say, 120 ECTS modules, and it says that it would take 2 years full time to complete... what is this "full time" for? Or, in other words... They say that the expected dedication is 36 hours a week, for example. Dedication to what? To study a book, to watch lectures, to make exercises? I just want to understand what does a certain number of dedication hours mean, so that I can know how much faster could I do it.

If, for example, I have to make a bachelor in mathematics again, but don't need to learn anything anymore as happened with the bachelor in physics, would I still need to dedicate 36 hours a week?


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Corresponding author in Philosophy
Who is the corresponding author in a field like Philosophy where there is no experimental work to be done and where sometimes the two authors are all senior philosophers?

I don't mean this to be flippant or unhelpful, but: who cares?  Nowadays, any academic with a solid web-presence is easy to contact.  If all authors have stable email addresses, they can all be contacted about their work....and they should be.

Do you mean this in the context of who gets assigned the most prestigious position in author ordering, or something else? Some fields assign a lot of prestige to the Corresponding Author, and many just use it as a tag for the author that supposed to answer questions from the readership. Can you clarify which one you care about?

There is a grant I want to apply for and they request that I mention the corresponding author of my jointly authored papers. That's why I care about it. They have not responded to my query and this is why I am asking it here.

Is this case where 1) you have several papers already published
2) you are applying for a grant where they are asking who was the 'corresponding' author for those papers you are listing to support the grant?  In my naive interpretation, wouldn't corresponding author already be in place? (who was the one who did the 'corresponding' with the journal?)


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Literature review help, 3D reconstruction of human organs (non-bio nature) using CAD and 3D printers
My dissertation is on 3D reconstruction of a human kidney (non-biological nature) using CAD software and 3D printers. The main objectives set in brief are:
-know how 3d printers work and identify different 3d printing technologies
-learn how to use CAD software to design or segment human organs then print out using 3D printers.
Now I've never actually done a literature review before and am struggling to see how to structure it so can achieve 1st objective but still write it in a lit review format. Thought about writing about history, current and developing tech, future developments. then going to try to print healthy kidney and unhealthy kidney for comparison. lots of benefits to both clinicians and patients. I'd be grateful for any pointers.

I don't think this site can help you with a question so narrowly focused on your own research topic.  This is a question that you should discuss with your advisor.  A good start, however, is to read a large number of other papers on similar topics, and see how their literature reviews are structured.


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Is it ever appropriate to cold-email post-docs that have graduate from your program?
For context there is a graduate student who has graduate from my program (at my school) working in my subfield (high energy theoretical physics) but he graduated before I joined the program so I never got to introduce myself.
He's now a post-doc at a highly respected university and is probably extremely busy.
However, I would really like to reach out to him and ask him for some advice for a beginner in the field, (I'm just starting my second year of the PhD program). Do you think it is appropriate to cold-email him and ask for some advice or the opportunity to speak with him over skype or on the phone or some form of communication?
I feel a little bad because I never introduced myself and I'm really scared of being flat out rejected by him but I also feel that he might have some really good advice for me.
Mostly, I'm worried about how to write the email and how I might sound (desperate?) to them.

Don't be scared of rejection! In the worst case, he'll ignore your email and forget about it entirely, which puts you in the same position you're in now. There's really only a potential upside here.

@user96140: I disagree strongly.  As a recipient, a phone call is almost certain to interrupt me in the middle of something.  With an email, I can read and respond at a convenient time.

@user96140 I disagree with this as well. Not only am I essentially unreachable by phone, but an email actually lets me think about my answer.

Consider rephrasing your question. The questions 'is it ever' or 'should you always'  are usually trivially answerable by coming up with some far fetched but real extreme example / edge cases. Since that's not what you're after it might be useful to change the wording of the question.

Yes, it's fine. High energy theory is a casual, non-hierarchical, small field of ~2,000 people. If you lived in a town of 2,000 people, you shouldn't be afraid of talking to anyone in it, even the mayor. Here that goes doubly so, as they're only a few years older than you and went to the same school.
As an undergraduate I cold emailed plenty of full professors; some of my friends preferred directly knocking on their doors. The best physicist I know started doing this in high school. I never got any negative feedback, besides occasional admonishment to call them by their first name rather than by their title. In the long run, excessive deference to perceived status will hurt you more than any email ever could.

"small field of ~2,000 people" This is true in large fields with many people too.

I don't think there is any reason not to do it. Just introduce yourself and say what you'd like to know and why. If he's too busy he might not respond back with much but I don't see any problem. Of course, one of your professors probably knows him better and can give you good advice on this.


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Order image from freelancer
I am writing a journal paper. In order to illustrate my work, I need to include an image of the whole system that I have built. The problem is that I am not very talented to make good images, so I would like to hire a freelancer to create a professional image. My questions are:

Is it allowed to add an image that was not done by me?
Is it ethical?
If yes, what kind of contract I need to sign with the freelancer so that all the rights belong to me after the payment?

Many thanks.

https://freelancing.stackexchange.com

In my opinion is totally ethical.  This has nothing to do with issues as referencing, copyright, acknowledgement and the like. Is like you contact a native speaker and good writer to improve your paper.  I have never done.  But I wouldn't feel being unethical to have, say, a British wife improving my paper English. This is what I feel and what I guess. It will be unethical to be coauthor for just making a nice cover, instead.  And this happens :)

That's a good question, I think leaving ethical matter aside, you should really contact someone/somewhere with legal background.

In order:
1) Yes, if you paid for it or referenced it
2) Yes, if you paid for it or referenced it
3) your contract should say something like "copyright or all rights pass to client", BUT that may be a question for the Law stack...
Many images on many documents papers etc are done by professional artists for exactly that reason. They like / want the work as well...

I don't think that paying for it removes the need to reference.

@Arno may well depend on the contract don't you think?

No. Rather, if the contract stipulates any particular acknowledgments, then these need to happen. But even if the artist doesn't care about them, I would still see some kind of ethical obligation to the scientific community to credit them in the paper.

@Arno it is possible to commission an image and purchase ALL the rights for the work... in which case there is no attribution to be made. When you see adverts for toothpaste do they show the Marketing company that designed it? No, the whole point is the product...

Advertisements are not academic publications. Ethical norms differ. While this may be a gray area for pictures, consider full-on ghostwriting to see this.

This paper came to mind as an example of using a freelanced image (page 675). Looks like they included "designed by XXX" but I don't see the company listed in the references.

Also check the journal copyright rules just in case

IMHO an acknowledgement like for a technician who did not contribute intellectually to the paper but did help, say, by keeping your animals/instruments/samples/data happy is the way to go. (To state the obvious, both the technician and the graphic artist nevertheless need to be paid for their work). This is anyways hat we did when a secretary (employee) helped with illustrations for a paper.