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Most efficient way of finding out if someone has already published your idea?
As far as I see, there are two extreme methods of finding out whether someone has already published your idea:

Read everything that has ever been written, and then decide whether any of it corresponds to your idea. Advantage: You’ll be 100% sure that no one has written your idea before you try to publish it. Disadvantage: You’ll be dead before you’re done reading.
Search your memory for whether you’ve read something like it. Advantage: You’ll be done searching in a matter of seconds. Disadvantage: not very fault-proof at all.

Obviously, the optimal search method must lie somewhere between these extremes, and obviously the optimal approach will employ searching keywords.
I am wondering what the optimal approach is, and whether there is a good guide on this. I don’t want to waste many hours on sifting through other people’s writings if there is a more efficient way to do it.
I’m sure that searching like this is a skill in and of itself. I’d like to become better at it.

@Keelan, thank you for your contribution. I hadn't thought of that! amazing.

That skill is called literature research, and consists of a few database skills plus common sense in deciding what to read from the results. I recommend reading rather more than less before getting "ideas".

I do not think that there is an optimal approach; how hard the problem is depends on many factors, e.g. how specific is your idea, how much you know about the topic/field, what resources are at your disposal, etc. The best thing you can do to save yourself time is to have a chat with somebody who is knowledgeable about the topic of your idea.

Commit your idea to paper and then apply for a patent - if they grant it ...

SolarMike, why so uncharitable?

@Programmer2134 there are some reasonable points made in the comment section, perhaps you could extend the question to explain why these obvious answers and not what your looking for? Or if they are what you are looking for, which bit of them you need guidance on.

@Programmer2134 I am not sure if you are being sincere or you are mocking?

@Paparazzi. I was being sincere. Some of the commenters it seems were not.

@Programmer2134 Be aware you are not coming off as sincere to all.  Other comments seem fine to me.

@Programmer2134 You're welcome. Point is you question sounds like you think you can become a scientist in some subject by having an idea. You can't. If you don't want to put in he work to become an expert yourself, you need a coworker who already is an expert.

@Programmer2134 You have voted to close this question as unclear. I think you would do the site a much greater service if you edited the question to improve it, rather than closing and abandoning it.

Your first proposal is a little bit extreme. If you are working on a new sorting algorithm, for example, there is no need to read Tolstoy's War and Peace, or biographies on Benazir Bhutto.
My advisor suggested this strategy: Find a few papers strongly related to your research topic. Read through them, paying particular attention to the references. Then find all those references, and read through all of those articles, too.
As you do so, for every article you find that is closely related to your topic, look through the references there, and repeat the process.
Eventually, you'll reach a saturation point, where you'll find a good article, look through the references, and say to yourself, "I've already read all these." When you find yourself saying that routinely, then you're nearing the point where you've thoroughly researched the topic.
This method still isn't foolproof, but it's certainly more efficient than trying to "read everything that's ever been written" and a whole lot more reliable than "search your memory for whether you’ve read something like it."

yes, I'm aware of this approach. But it seems still very inefficient to me. The thing is, what if you have an idea for lets say, applying a statistical concept from your field to another field. It might be that the other field uses completely different terminology, so that you cant use a keyword search. Surely it would be very inefficient to first get to the point of a complete overview of that field before being able to publish your result. This is just ONE example, where it seems inefficient to first read an entire literature before being able to publish.

I think the example you've put in a comment below my answer would have been better included in your original question.

@Programmer2134 How about talking to the people from this other field? Maybe let them help you? Oh, you want all the fame for yourself. I'm sorry.


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Is it possible to get a PhD in field X with research that isn't really in field X?
People obviously change their mind sometimes. So it is possible that someone starts out with a PhD in a certain field, but may want to switch to another field.
I am wondering, is it possible, or generally deemed acceptable, for someone to receive a PhD in a field, let's say political science, but for the PhD thesis to really not be political science related (e.g. it could instead be a piece of research in economics, or theoretical statistics, without any reference to political science)?
Edit: it seems that it is required to at least relate your PhD to field X. What would one do if one really did not want to relate it to X at all?

Given that most political science programs (at least undergraduate - my daughter is in a related department) require courses in economics and statistics, it would certainly seem possible to attack a problem in those areas with a political science perspective. You will need to tie them together.

@JonCuster What would one do if one really did not want to relate it to X at all?

Then change departments. But, really, it isn't that difficult to imaging tying a hard-core economics thesis to political science sufficiently to pacify your committee - they are closely linked at least through policy and practice. Now, if you were in a Physics department and wrote a thesis on Elizabethan theater, that would be much harder. You need to explore just what your motivations are, and why you are choosing (apparently) to draw such bright hard lines around fairly squishy fields (this assumes you are actually in the poly-sci/econ/stats areas).

It is possible, usually, to work in another field on your thesis at least in the sciences. However, the thesis defense and dissertation will have to relate to the program you are in.
i.e. I had friends in physics PhD programs who worked in biology labs. The research had to be tied to physics for the dissertation and defense (light diffraction, computational modeling using physical concepts, etc.)
There will always be people who look down on specific disciplines, but I would think that usually it is acceptable if you can make it work.

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Is it acceptable to email the author of a paper that you cannot follow?
I am reading a paper that I find very hard to follow.
This is partially due to my lack of experience in the subfield, but also I think because the paper is unclearly written.
Is it acceptable for me to email the writer of the paper, and ask for explanations of basic concepts in the paper? i.e. I would ask for things that I think could have been explained more clearly.

Perhaps you should first try your colleagues - it may be your level of understanding that is the issue... The paper has been peer reviewed and approved by an editor - usually this keeps the quality up but that may depend on the source of the paper...

ask for explanations of basic concepts  Perhaps there are textbooks that explain the basic concepts.  Perhaps there are references in the paper on the basic concepts.  Ask the author about them only if this is the paper where this author introduces those basic concepts.

People who write confusing papers also write confusing emails (in my experience). I would not assume the author would give a better explanation in a hastily written email vs. a paper.

See https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/13460/how-to-read-a-mathematical-paper which also has a link to excellent advice from Terry Tao. It is about reading math papers, but much of the advice is portable to other fields.

I think this is related - in certain ways - to this question; papers are in general not intended to be self-contained, and emailing the author with questions about the "background knowledge" for a paper is generally inappropriate. Also the author isn't the only resource: e.g. specific questions about steps in math papers which aren't clear to you would be perfect fits on math.stackexchange, as would questions about what background knowledge a paper assumes.

Although re: the latter, you should first look at the introduction and the bibliography, which together will hopefully already give you a sense of what knowledge the paper assumes.

I keep reading this title as "Is it acceptable to email an author ... that you can't follow" as if you're having a hard time tailing them down the hallway but they keep losing you.

You can really read your attitude and opinion in between the lines of your question. Have you tried hard enough?

Explanations of basic concepts: definitely no. But if there's a very specific question about some particular statement that is unclear after careful reading, then go ahead: they will be pleased to know that someone is reading their work so carefully.

Perhaps you could write a question on [mathematics.se] or [cs.se] (or whatever the appropriate Stack Exchange community is), a question that cites the paper that you are reading and asks about the concept that you are struggling with.

@AzorAhai Your comment reminded me of this xkcd

It would help to know what level you're coming to this paper from - are you an undergraduate student reading the paper because you find it interesting?  Are you a grad student looking into tangential fields?  Are you a professor or post-doc reading for professional interest?  Are you reviewing the paper?

I seem to be missing the part where the OP said the paper was peer-reviewed. Of course that would typically be the case, but it's not necessarily true.

@AzorAhai - "I keep reading this title as ..." Funny. I initially read "Is it acceptable to email an author ... that you can't follow" as if they were trying to "Follow" the Author on "Twitter" or other social media, and they were unable (not allowed) to do that.

It's okay, and more than okay, to ask for clarifications on specific bits that you were unable to follow. Academics love talking about their work, and they love spreading knowledge.
It's less okay to email someone out of the blue and say "explain yourself better". As SolarMike said, this paper has already been peer-reviewed; people in the field have looked over it and said "yep, that looks good". It may indeed be true that the paper was not written clearly enough to be understandable to someone without extensive knowledge of the subfield, and it may also be true that a better written version of the paper would have been more widely understandable without compromising its concision or its organization, but that's not a sin the author is required to atone for.
Try reading a few of the papers that paper cites, particularly ones sharing one or more authors; authors will often introduce and explain formalisms in one paper, and then take them "as read" in later papers (either accidentally or because they see the later paper as incorporating the earlier one by reference). If you still can't follow it, definitely contact the author... but make sure your request comes off as a request, not a criticism.

"this paper has already been peer-reviewed; people in the field have looked over it and said 'yep, that looks good'" Usually, but sometimes the reviewers insist the author make it worse, the editor insists on some arbitrary length limit, and the copyeditor deletes things at random.

In general, it seems quite obvious that the peer review process does not filter all articles with good content but that are badly written.

I agree that the process is badly flawed in terms of creating readable papers. Nevertheless, passing peer review and being published is often seen as the ultimate purpose of a paper, so one would be fighting an uphill battle convincing the author to revise it further.

@Programmer2134 Granted, but you have to ask yourself "is it the paper, or is it me?" Of course, you're likely to want to claim it's the paper and not yourself, but you're slightly biased. It would help if there were some independent third parties to render their opinion ... how about the peer reviewers? It's not definitive, but the fact it passed peer review puts the ball back in your court to show it's not you but the paper. You can do this by expending additional effort to make sure you're not missing something, or by getting additional third parties (your colleagues) to weigh in.

The most important is to ask about specific points, e.g., avoid "I couldn't make sense of Section 4, please help". If possible, make the effort to pinpoint something which seems unclear and which will help you understand once it's clarified, e.g., "Why is object X defined as A and used as B later? Why does the proof not use assumption X, or prove part Y of the claim? Which specific concept/result of reference [42] are you referring to?"

Is it acceptable for me to email the writer of the paper, and ask for explanations of basic concepts in the paper?

Not really, no. When somebody writes a paper about something, they're not offering to explain the basics of that field to every stranger in the world who might be interested. Rather, they're explaining their particular advances to people who are already expected to be familiar with the basics.
You should try to find other sources for the basics. Textbooks, websites, earlier papers in the same field, members of your own department, a relevant Stack Exchange site, and so on. If you can't find appropriate resources on your own, it would definitely be appropriate to ask the authors of the paper if they have any recommendations of resources you could use to learn about the area.
I'm assuming here that, by "basic concepts", you mean the basic concepts of the field, rather than the concepts that they introduce. For example, if the paper is about prime numbers, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask the authors what a prime number is, or what Euler's totient function is. If, on the other hand, their whole paper is about their new concept of "squiggle primes" and you can't follow their definition, it's reasonable to ask about that, if no more local person can help you. But do try to ask something specific rather than, "You define squiggle primes but I don't get it. Please explain more."

'I would ask for things that I think could have been explained more clearly.'  : wrong approach.
'I would ask for help in understanding something that isn't fully clear to me at present' : right approach.
Your objective is to understand/learn, not to correct/improve the authors' writing style. If the latter is indeed your objective, this is not the time. You're a reader, not a reviewer.
The way you think about it manifests in your words, in your tone, and is very likely to influence the response you get.

It really depends on how you do it. I am only speaking from personal experience, as I tend to receive mails like that a couple of times a month or more. This is due to me implementing my academic work into software, which people can then use to make calculations.
If you just imagine the person you are writing giving the rant below, and then ask your question accordingly, you will be fine.

I can immediately tell if you made an effort understanding it. Please do so before you write me. While I will surely answer your question, I can certainly have more fun than trying to paraphrase one of my papers in an email.
Ask genuine questions, don't try to hide anything out of fear that I will steal your idea. I wont, I have enough to do. I all too often have to drag out of people what they are actually trying to accomplish, enabling me to give them better answers.
If you are a student, ask your supervisor first. While I will be happy to help, I don't run a correspondence course.
For God's sake: spell check. Your English does not have to be perfect - mine certainly isn't - but I need to be able to understand your mail before answering it.
Don't open simultaneous, parallel mail threads with both me and my co-author. We do not often discuss "help" mail, and if we do, it's for giggles in the coffee room. We will not know that you reached out to both of us, and when we find out we will be annoyed.

Kudos, and thank you for the work you do! Academic software built by academics has made my life, and that of many others so much simpler.

+1. Reminds me of Top $k$ List of Reasons to Close a Question Immediately at CV.Meta. I assume other SE Meta sites have similar threads.

I don't think it would be a good use of the author's time to answer questions on basic concepts, however I think there are specific situations where asking questions is appropriate.
For my MedChem MSc we reviewed a number of papers on structure analysis that included statistical results. As I previously did statistics undergrad I was keen to replicate their steps (as their methods were fairly straight-forward) and replication should be a matter of plugging their data into Rstudio with the appropriate model. This approach worked fine, except for one particular paper.
After a week of messing around with variations, I couldn't get the same results. I asked some fellow students who suggested it was much more likely that I was wrong somewhere, than the paper was wrong, which was my feeling.
However eventually I emailed the author who quickly responded that indeed, the paper was missing some required details, and their clarifications allowed me to come up with the same results.
So sometimes, I assume rarely, papers have mistakes and omissions, and usually the author can help you with that.

It's certainly acceptable to ask the author of a paper questions when you don't understand something.
However, when corresponding with the author, take into account that the author will probably answer only two or three emails before giving up on you as somebody who is wasting too much of their time.
So if you have a basic question, try to answer it yourself, or get somebody at your institution who knows more about the field, before emailing them; save your emails for questions that you really need help on, and that only the author will be able to answer.

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Read latest journal articles on your phone?
I'm not sure if this is the right stackexchange.
But i was wondering if there is a way to select a number of journals in your field, and have the latest articles of those journals on your phone, so that you can open the latest articles of specific journals with the tap of a finger.
Given how addictive smartphone apps can be, it seems like its better to be addicted to reading journal articles than to facebook.
Take an analogy with newspapers: A newspaper is an aggregation of relevant new information. When you read the newspaper you're not beforehand specifying that you want to know something about a war in the middle east. Its just that something happened in the middle east that you didn't know about and couldn't have searched for. Essentially I'm looking for a (metaphorical) "newspaper of journal articles on my phone"

Are you asking for an app? Or can you? Or should you?

@SolarMike, it might be an app, or some way to use an app thats not meant for it.

So what would you want it to do that pointing your browser at scholar.google.com won't?

@FedericoPoloni, I don't see how that is not obvious from my question.

@Programmer2134 I don't see how using scholar.google.com is not a solution. Perhaps you can elaborate.

@user2768, maybe I'm unaware of what google scholar can do... But as far as I understand, you have to search with google scholar. You have to write what you want. you have to also know before hand what you want. I am talking about getting the journal articles feeded to you, so you can open them with one tap, without having to search for them.

Try https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?sciupd=1 which does exactly what you're asking

@Programmer2134 when you search for something, don’t you know what you are looking for ? Unless it’s inspiration...

I think my understanding, and that of others, is directly related to the clarity of the original question - the info that has come out via comments would have made the original question so much easier to answer...

@Programmer2134, if you edit your question, then you'll get better responses.

RSS (Rich Site Summary) is an open standard that many journals use to deliver their latest tables of content and abstracts.
Quoting Wikipedia:

RSS is a type of web feed which allows users to access updates to online content in a standardized, computer-readable format.

Simply download any feed reader app to subscribe to the RSS feeds of your favorite journals. If you find an abstract of interest, click on the title to be redirected to the respective repository where you can usually read or download the article in pdf or html format with your preferred browser or reader. Or you may want to save the paper from there with a reference management app such as Zotero or Mendeley.
Unfortunately, more and more journals seem to be discontinuing their RSS feeds in favor of e-mail alerts, which I find less useful.

Google Scholar will recommend manuscripts to you: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?sciupd=1.

This might be useful for you:
https://www.researcher-app.com/

Please expand on this answer to explain what this app does. We do not accept link-only answers.

This seems very good, but unfortunately only works for life sciences and natural sciences

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How important are informal enquiries?
I have finished my BSc and I am considering applying for a Msc. I have no idea about the etiquite of applying for grad school. Do I apply using the online form or should one send an email to the proffesors and doctors?
If they are important, what does one say!?
Thanks, and any advice you have is welcome!

Where are you applying?  In the US, follow the on-line instructions for the institution(s) you are interested in.

I am in the UK. There is a on-line form, however should I email the course leaders aswell?

Although referring the concerned institution guidelines for application should be self-sufficient, it wouldn't be wrong to ask a professor of the related department for any clarifications. But just make sure you go refer the guidelines first before you send a request-for-clarifications email.

Thanks Ebe, I understand everything and all is clear. However is it not etiquite to send an email. I know some courses I've looked at encourage it, however others have no mention. If they don't mention it should the usual online application be enough?

@MathsWizard: 1. is it not etiquette to send an email-- no, there is an etiquette for sending emails. You'll find that this site has many email etiquette based posts with pretty good answers. Just look at the relevant tags. 2. If they don't mention it should the usual online application be enough? Well, yes.

If you have a genuine question that is not answered by any of the course literature or website then by all means contact the course in question.
If there is a generic email address or online form for questions then use that, it will most likely be answered by a member of support staff who will hopefully be able to help you.
In my experience (UK, master's courses), contacting academic staff is discouraged simply because there isn't really anything that an academic would tell you that an member of support staff could not - and if there is, then they would forward it on form you (thus keep busy academic inboxes clear!).
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean you would be penalized (unless it explicitly says not to on the website etc.) for searching out the course director's email address and contacting them directly.  But be prepared for a longer wait on your reply and the possibility of an answer from someone else.
On the topic of whether personal contact with an academic would increase your chances I have this to say: an enquiry email for unlikely be of much help in enhancing your application, being a former student, friend, associate etc. could possibly help your application (rightly or wrongly) and would give you more reason to email them directly.  Unless you are acquainted, emailing a course director is unlikely to enhance your application (assuming that all the lovely things you want to say about yourself aren't in the app already!).
Again, this is from a UK, taught postgraduate perspective.  Conversely, many research degrees recommend contacting an academic directly first.  I am not familiar with etiquette in other countries, but assume it will vary.


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Is an engineering PhD enough to publish math stats research?
I'm in the second half of an electrical engineering doctorate but have come to realize that mathematical statistics and the theoretical side of information theory might be more my calling. I am too far along in my research to pivot my doctoral thesis to this abstract of an area, especially considering I am in the engineering department.
I am relatively strong in math (Tall for a hobbit... taking the grad functional analysis sequence, albeit late relative to when math students see it) and have a (very conservative) original math side project, so I believe I am at least capable of understanding math research. However my environment is still most conducive to studying engineering problems, not math/stats ones.
If someone in this position wanted to research and publish in mathematical statistics later on, would an engineering doctorate be enough credentials to do so?
There are several reasons I ask:

The amount of math knowledge implied by a typical engineering doctorate is not anywhere near the amount necessary to do research in statistics theory.  (Not to say the EEs I have met here aren't extremely capable in their field,  just most aren't focused on research level math).
The direction my adviser and I are headed with my current thesis is interesting and useful. I'm not about to drop my engineering degree.
If it isn't necessary I would rather not jump through all the hoops of getting a PhD all over again.

To publish research, you don't need credentials.  You need significant results.

Quick clarification question: Are you asking whether you would be able to acquire a position where your focus was research related to statistics or whether you can publish in this area?  No credentials are required for publications.

Is it possible to use statistical concepts and theories in your phd works?

While simply being able/allowed to publish won't really be an issue, I wonder if your question is rather how will it effect your ability to be employed in a position that encourages you to do this research? You could always do it on the side and try to publish, but that's very different than trying to get a job (academia or industry) where you are allowed and encouraged to work in the area you want to work in. But I don't want to put words in your mouth or just guess, but you should at least consider that's a different question with possibly different answers.

No formal credential is required for scientific publication in any discipline.
What is required is good work, presented well in a context in which the reviewers can understand your results and their significance to the community with which you are communicating.
That often strongly correlates with having a Ph.D. in the discipline in which you are publishing, since that is the most straight-forward manner in which to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for effectively engaging with such a community.  There are many other ways to get engaged with a scientific discipline, however.
For example, you're coming up on another good opportunity for shifting between communities, however, which is getting a postdoc in the area in which you work.  Given what you have described of your situation, I would suggest following through to completion with your Ph.D. work, while simultaneously continuing to explore your alternate interests and looking for a good postdoc to help you shift.

As stated in other answers, doing a postdoc in your newly-found area of interest after finishing your PhD would be the preferable way to switch your focus.
While I essentially agree with most of the other answers, I want to mention here that your plan may not be as far-fetched as you think it is, or as others would have you believe. Your target areas (mathematical statistics and theoretical information theory) are studied by electrical engineers, and there is no need to switch from EE to other fields of study entirely.
Choosing your postdoc institution wisely is the key to success. If you are not inclined to toss aside your EE credentials completely, and still don't mind being aligned with (gasp!) electrical engineering (who says EE isn't great?), one thing to look for are EE departments that have more theoretical leanings. Some schools that come to mind here are Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSD, Duke, UT Austin, UIUC, Caltech, Georgia Tech, Columbia, and Princeton. Schools that combine their electrical engineering and computer science faculty into one department also would be worthwhile to investigate.
Just to give you some ideas of where to look, here are some researchers who are either EEs, or are affiliated in some way with EE departments, and do the type of research that you want to get into:

Venu Veeravalli at UIUC
Maxim Raginsky at UIUC
Galen Reeves at Duke
Venkat Chandrasekaran at Caltech
Sujay Sanghavi at UT Austin
Martin Wainwright at UC Berkeley
Thomas Courtade at UC Berkeley
Ben Recht at UC Berkeley
Alon Orlitsky at UCSD
Tsachy Weissman at Stanford
David Tse at Stanford
John Duchi at Stanford
Mark Davenport at Georgia Tech
Justin Romberg at Georgia Tech
John Wright at Columbia
Sergio Verdu at Princeton

Additionally, here are two researchers who did their PhDs in EE, but are now faculty in statistics departments:

Yihong Wu at Yale
Arian Maleki at Columbia

If you are interested in staying in academia, do a postdoc. You have a new interest that extends your grad work, but that you don't have precisely the right background to drop into the field without additional training.  I'd describe this as almost the ideal situation for starting a postdoc! Look for someone a bit more embedded in mathematics with research interests in the direction you're interested in.  With your engineering background, you could bring new problems or new techniques to them. Unless you are dealing with work that needs massive amounts of analysis and measure theory, I think many applied mathematicians would be happy to work with people with slightly different backgrounds, especially if you can make a case to them that you have gone through the coursework. [As a warning: there can be some cultural transitions - many math postdocs teach to support themselves!]
If you are not interested in staying in academia, and just want to publish because you find the work interesting - then credentials don't matter as much. But you still might want to get a little connected to people just to see if 1) your questions are interesting to other people, 2) you're trying to answer something that is already known in the literature, etc. Really, what you would need there is friends in the field you want to work in. Unfortunately, you mostly get those by working in academia for long enough to make a reputation and find people you respect. Some people will respond to [well-informed] questions, but it's not the same as working with a mentor in the new field.

As others have pointed out, the answer to your literal question

Is an engineering PhD enough to publish math stats research?

is

Yes.  In fact no degrees are necessary to publish math/stats research.

But I think what you are really asking is

I find myself more interested in mathematics / statistics than engineering.  How do I get there from here?  In particular, can one become an academic in mathematics and/or statistics with degrees in engineering?

The answer to the second question is shorter: yes, you can.  I highly recommend reading a bit about the lives of these two mathematicians.  The point is that they got some of their degrees in engineering, but they kept a lively interest in mathematics and in particular had a lot of contact with mathematicians.
So that is the major thing that you should do if you want to segue into mathematics: cultivate strong relationships with the mathematics research community.  As others have said, a well-chosen postdoc is ideal for this.  Many people nowadays do more than one postdoc.  I would recommend that in your case, since you point out that most math PhDs have more mathematical training than you do (which sounds reasonable, by the way), so doing one postdoc where you can spend some time acquiring these mathematical skills may be beneficial.
Let me say finally although you certainly can do whatever you like, I think your chances become much better if you don't simply gradually turn your back on your background and work in engineering but rather positively incorporate it into your mathematical work.  Because mathematics (especially highly theoretical mathematics) has such a high "entry fee," even in comparison to other STEM fields, candidates whom a math department can view as "really mathematicians" (or statisticians...) but who have a strongly relevant interest in engineering look like very valuable players.  In particular, university deans are all about interdisciplinary stuff nowadays...whereas most pure mathematicians really are not.  I think there are a lot of good niches waiting to be occupied; if you can find one, you may have a leg up on some people who were studying only math the whole time.
Thanks for your interest in mathematics (it's pretty great, isn't it?) and good luck.

Your paper ought to stand by itself. If it is good enough to be published, it will (or at least should) be published.
Of course, people will wonder about your "background." And "engineering" isn't the most usual background for a math paper. Still, it isn't as far out of the way as say, fine arts. And people realize that engineering PhDs have all kinds of "secondary" concentrations. Yours just happens to be math.
If you want "credentials," you might go back to school for a Master's (not necessarily a PhD) in Math or Statistics. But you really don't need to. Your current background (and interest) ought to speak for itself.

authors: انسیه حاجیان


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Tense for the notational conventions
When writing the notational conventions of a paper, do you explain them in present or future tense?
For example, which of the following is preferrable:

In order to not confuse the meta-level equality with the object-level operator, we write a ≙ b for the former.
In order to not confuse the meta-level equality with the object-level operator, we will write a ≙ b for the former.

The first one is more common. Present tense can also be used to describe a fact or habit. As this notation will sustain inside the article, it's more natural to use present tense.
But I'd rather write this as:

The meta-level equality is denoted as a ≙ b to avoid confusion with
  the object-level operator.

The original form creates a small visual loop looping back to the "former," removing such loop makes the reading smoother. Also, notation is implied to be done by the writers so mentioning "we write" can appear redundant.

Proposed grammatical improvement, roll back if you don't like it.

@aparente001, no problem. I was struggling between -ion or -ing. This works better.

I think saying "we write" serves to indicate that this is a particular choice of notation made by the authors, not necessarily standard or widely used.  In your example, when you use the impersonal "is denoted", it makes it sound like you are claiming this is what everybody does.


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Quantity vs Quality of Publication during PhD
My question is similar to this one but it applies to PhD who wants to find a postdoc position after graduation.
I am a PhD student who publishes a new paper as soon as there is an improvement in my research. Each year, I manage to publish 2 or 3 papers into high quality conferences but not the top one in my field.
Recently, a senior researcher suggests me to combine few improvements into one paper so that it will have more improvements in comparison to the previous one. It will result in less papers per year but increase the difference in term of research contribution between them. She argues that, in order to get into a good postdoc programme, the quality of paper is more important than the quantity and I should aim for top conference in the field with very high quality paper instead of good-but-not-great conference.
I wonder if my colleague's suggestion is correct and I should reduce the number of published papers per year in order to increase the difference in research contribution between them.
My field is computer science but answers from other fields are also welcome.

Obviously your advisor thinks they are quality papers and approves of this strategy since he/she has been letting you do it for years. I'm shocked you haven't graduated yet at that rate. Are you sure they are good conferences?

Well, the Admissions committee will be evaluating your papers against someone else's.

I don't know what publication rates are typical in computer science, but in mathematics it is true that quality is more important than quantity, when it comes to getting postdocs and competitive research positions.
This does not mean quantity is irrelevant. But postdocs are partially given based on your promise as a researcher. To that end, one truly excellent paper may be enough to land a job (along with good references), because it suggests you have the potential to produce more excellent papers. On the other hand, 10 truly mediocre papers is not likely to be as impressive, because it only shows you can publish lots of mediocre papers.

in mathematics it is true that quality is more important than quantity — This is also true in computer science.

I need to disagree somewhat with the other answers posted.
Publication quality is very important.  Do not, however, confuse quality of a publication with the impact factor of the venue where it is sent.
If you have completed a piece of work that is significant for a narrow community, then you should publish it in an appropriate place for that community to be able to find it.  This can be a high quality publication and good for your citation indices, even if it is not a high impact factor venue, if it is the right place for the paper.
High impact venues typically require research that is more broadly relevant.  High impact venues are definitely better for your reputation and future career.  You cannot, however, turn several narrow papers worth of research into a broad paper just by stacking their results together.  Rather, you need to take a step back and look deeper into the work that you are doing.  The postdoc from the answer by @user3550416 is a good example: those five new-species publications in obscure journals are probably in the right places, and the important decision is to start looking for deeper analyses rather than more species.
Finally, getting obsessed with high impact can get you into big trouble because you are placing more weight on less outcomes in an unpredictable process.  If you are shooting too high for the work that you are doing, you might end up going a long time without a publication, and feeling increasing pressure because each individual publication is so high stakes.  Likewise, you place yourself in danger of getting scooped, which is much less of a worry if you are publishing at regular intervals.
In short: do not think of this in terms of adjusting the unit size of packaging a homogeneous product.  Instead, look at it in terms of how you scope the work that you are doing in order to make your research products more broadly relevant.

My idea of how to evaluate the candidate is completely orthogonal to what you are asking.
1) What counts towards evaluating your research potential is what you proved and what tools you developed. You can put 15 theorems into one paper, and the theorem count will still be 15. You can repeat the same idea in 20 different variations in 20 papers and the idea count will still be 1. You can have 3 tricks and publish 7 papers with all possible non-empty combinations of them and the trick count will still be 3.
2) What is derived from how you split and group your results for publication is your maturity as a writer. At the graduate or postdoc level, as far as I can tell, almost nobody cares about this aspect because it is commonly assumed that the choices here are made not as much by you as by your mentors and advisers (especially if the publications are either joint with them, or just thank them for helpful advice anywhere in the text).
3) Ideally, a single paper should contain a single statement. This statement may be simple or complicated, long or short, a startling novelty or a small twist of a routine, etc., but it should be a statement that can be understood and digested as a single block like a sentence in a book. Of course, it is not always possible, but still this is what (in my eyes) determines where to put a comma and where a full stop when writing. The other considerations are far less relevant because you write not for the members of hiring committees, but for unknown people for most of whom you exist merely as a combination of the ideas you share and who do not care in the slightest about your personal status or reputation.
4) With all that said, if you want to land a good job, you need to show up on radars. So, write sparingly and concisely, but talk profusely. Don't hesitate to go to conferences, to meet with people, and to use any other opportunity to get acquaintances. Quite often "I see John is applying..."; "Yeah, Peter told me he would..."; "They also consider him at..." can secure you a position better than "Look, this theorem is just brilliant!"; "Theorem by whom, you said?"; "I cannot tell much because it is so far from my field, sorry...". The second approach works too, but you need to be really good to just throw things into the wind and see how they soar higher and higher. Most of us, poor mortals, need to hold the strings of our kites firmly and pay attention to their tension :-).

With time number of publications will be almost everything. The quality of the publications is usually determined by the impact factor of the journals in which they are published even though this under no circumstances is a guarantee for the quality. Now someone may easily object to this description but the point is simple. As a senior researcher you will have so many papers that no-one will read and evaluate them and so people resort to proxies for their evaluation. So what about your situation?
for early career scientists your list of publications is not that long and so it is more likely that people actually read all, some or parts of the papers apart from judging where they have been published. In an early career your number of citation will not be large since it takes time for the impact of a paper to become known. All this points at the importance to not just be prolific but to also to have some stamps of quality in the list. This does not mean that publishing smaller or shorter studies in lower impact venues are bad.
I would argue that a healthy mix showing you are productive but also capable of quality productions is a good way. To provide a number is pointless because it is difficult to plan and succeed in publishing according to some plan within only a few years so people do generally expect quite varying types and number of publications. A short and condensed narrative that describes your research efforts can also help set the specifics of your list of publications in perspective.

Coming from the marine sciences field, the impact factor (prestige) of the journal where you publish is more important than the number of papers you're able to churn in the short-term.
I know a post-doc who has published at least 5 papers in 3 years describing new species in different, but rather obscure, journals. This same person shared with me that he is currently working on papers with more analytical content to be submitted to more prestigious journals. He needs higher-profile publications to really boost up his resume.
So my recommendation would be to wait until you have some substantial findings that could lead to a quality publication in a high-profile journal or conference.


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Citing a verbatim copy of a table?
I found a table that exactly fits my needs but the technical nature of its contents makes paraphrasing very difficult, and in most cases impossible.
How does one create a one-to-one copy of a table, column titles and all, without committing plagiarism? Is a citation in the title enough?
Placing quotation marks around the contents of every cell doesn't seem to be the proper course of action.
The closest question/answer I can find is here.
Does that answer still apply here if:

we're talking about protocols, standardization bodies, port numbers etc.
Not two related studies using same pool of participants by the same author. Distinct authors, distinct applications, other author did great work in creating the summary table.

There are two separate issues here, which must be dealt with individually:

From a perspective of copyright law, you must make sure that you can obtain the right to reproduce the table at all.
From a perspective of scientific ethics, quoting a table is exactly like quoting a passage of text or quoting a figure. You simply need to make absolutely certain that it is clear that the table is being reproduced from somebody else's publication, and why it is more useful to the reader to reproduce the table rather than to provide a shorter summary of its contents (e.g., if you will be discussing elements of the table in detail).

I would recommend stating that the table is a reproduction in two different places:

In the caption of the table itself (e.g., "Classes of frobozinator, reproduced from [Cite]")
In the text where you first refer to the table (e.g., "Let us now turn to a more detailed discussion of frobozinators, as guided by the taxonomy developed in [cite].  For ease of reference, the table of classes from [cite] is reproduced in Table 5.")

Thank you! Your comment led me to [this][1], which contains a pretty clear method of avoiding plagiarism for a couple of use cases, and which matches your answer perfectly. Cheers!
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Plagiarism


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How do I create a diagram in this specific style?
I am unsure if this is the right place to ask this but I have seen this style of diagrams (shamelessly stolen from this question):

mostly in an academic setting, i.e. assignments, exams, publications, etc. Anyone have any idea how these diagrams are created. Are they created in Latex/Tikz/PGF, illustrator, paint, something else?

Where did you find the picture?

@PålGD - shameless stolen from this question. Added to post.

The asymptote programming language is very good for this type of drawing.  It's like a modern version of postscript with c++ style syntax.  It outputs vector graphics and uses Latex for labels.  See the gallery at http://asymptote.sourceforge.net/

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is out of scope Academia.SX.

This definitely looks like LaTeX rendered fonts, however, there looks to be some imprecisions in the alignment of the wheels, which might imply they are organized by hand.
Perhaps it is a combination of LaTeX and Inkscape?  Inkscape can export to LaTeX-embeddable files so that LaTeX is in charge of rendering text.

exactly my thought, fonts look Latex renderered but there are too many aestetic mistakes to not be done by hand. I am going to give inkscape a try! thx

You can simply use LaTeX math mode, like $\phi_G$ in a textbox and export to pdf+LaTeX from Inkscape.

Since it is my picture  you 'shamelessly' stole (It is okay by the way).
I only used Inkscape to create this figure. With the help of the grid and alignment lines it is pretty easy to create a better picture than mine. It is supposed to be a quick sketch while I had no scanner nearby.
The Fonts are from here: LaTeX Equation Editor

Note that you did not need to use an external tool, as Inkscape has a LaTeX renderer.

Thanks! I am going to try it now. I did not know about that renderer but ... well I guess sometimes one should at least skim read through a manual.

TikZ is the correct answer.  It takes some time to learn.
https://www.ctan.org/pkg/pgf?lang=en
I suppose illustrator or any other vector graphics program could work.

The free maths software GeoGebra would do a nice job of this. Images can be exported in a variety of formats.


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Is it possible to get a PhD in molecular/cell biology/genetics without work with mice? How to find such a lab?
I don't want to kill any more mice, but my advisor insists that I must in order to get my PhD
I read the above post and I realized that I will be sailing in the same boat.
I am planning to get a PhD admission in molecular/cell biology/genetics.
I cannot stand the sight of mice. I get scared even looking at pictures of mice.
My questions are:

Is it possible to complete the course without having to work on mice?
Will it be very difficult to do?
How should I go about finding labs that don't work with mice?

How can academia.SE users answer your research based question. If mice have to be killed so that you will get a PhD, then it is inevitable. Let them die (if you are selfish). Else, get out of that lab and seek some theoretical work.

@coder I think these are answerable questions. In the US there might be PhD level course work that requires students to work with mice. In some cases theses classes might be optional. I think someone familiar with molecular biology programs could answer these questions.

It seems like the 1st and 3rd questions are very different. It might be better to ask them as separate questions.

@StrongBad I thought it was relevant for specific audience, not for a whole group of academia.SE community. Thanks for the info. and clarification.

Your first question is off-topic, it depends entirely on individual policies and programmes. The second is somewhat opinion-based, it's not a great question but someone might handle it if asked separately. The third is different entirely, and should be asked separately.

@Nij I think the question is asking all/none/some programs can be done without animal work. Someone who understands these programs should be able to give an answer.

There's a whole world of biological oceanography out there that examines genetics / molecular biology of plankton, bacteria, and viruses! Never have to touch a vertebrate if you don't want to!

@ff524 - What I'm gleaning is that I should apply the tag only if the emotional response is in the foreground -- background is not sufficient.  Does this work for other types of tags as well?  I added "community-college" to a question recently but it was the background of the question, so maybe that was not appropriate.  Should I look for the link?

@aparente001 Let's not engage in discussion about tagging in comments - take it to [meta] or chat if you'd like to ask for feedback. That's what they're there for.

@ff524 - I think for a little question like this I'd like to try using chat.  This is something I have to get better at using sooner or later!  Should I open a special room, or just dive into the general chat pool with the question?  Should I address my question to you specifically there?

There's plant and microbial biology.

Coursework that uses live animals is exceeding rare (unfortunately, IMO), so you should have very little trouble completing PhD coursework without using live animals
As to your research, this is an entirely different matter, but not all labs do in-vivo work. I suggest looking up faculty in the specific departments you are interested in, and seeing if there are enough labs that don't use mice to offer you a fair opportunity to land in a lab that doesn't.
Also, I recommend giving the animal work a try, possibly through a rotation.  Some students really change their minds once they start doing animal work.  This goes in both directions.  Some students find it to be not so bad as they thought it was going to be, and others who really thought they were to have a career doing animal research just have no taste for it when they actually try it.  Try not to let preconceived notions about how you will react dictate your research career.  Find a way to expose yourself to it in a small amount, and see if you're right about how you actually will react.

Yes, of course it's possible! I'm not sure why everyone here seem to be pushing you to mouse work...
Anyways, there are many model organisms in molecular/cell biology/genetics other than mice. C. elegans, zebrafish, and bacteria to name a few. All of these are perfectly legitimate systems to work with. In fact, I would argue that most break throughs in basic science are made using non-mammalian models. small RNAs and CRISPR for example. A very large proportion of genetic labs also study plants. Genetic engineering is huge. Even if you want to work on a clinically relevant project, there are always cell lines and in vitro work to do.
I'm not sure where the idea that molecular biology = mouse work comes from, but it's totally inaccurate. There are TONS of labs out there that use other model systems. Even if you flip through any of the top biology journals (cell, nature...), you'll see the diversity of models used. All you have to do is find one of those labs :)

Not to mention fungi (a whole kingdom), Drosophila... It's more probable you won't have to kill rats, than the opposite.

Plants are an excellent answer - and they are even one of the hottest / most rapidly growing topics in biological research. (And could be a particularly good choice if OP would later be seeking a non-academic job).

Good news.  It is possible to overcome your fear and distaste.  There is a treatment for specific phobias, called "Exposure and Response Prevention."
Please see the relevant portions of another answer I wrote: https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/78073/32436
I realize I'm not answering the question you asked, but I thought you would want to know -- there is a solution to the underlying problem!

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Is it my responsibility to refute misinformation in social situations?
Seldom does a day pass without a juicy piece of misinformation catching my eye. Generally these are the regular thoroughly debunked myths. Be it that vaccines cause autism, or humans cannot possibly influence the climate system since 'we're so small compared to the Sun'. Sure, I utter to myself after a four pi-radian eyeroll.
Is that all I should be doing?

Voices in my head

A second-year chemistry student hardly possesses sufficient experience in climatology or immunology.

But established basic scientific facts do not need a PhD to communicate. After all, science is not about arguments from authority. Rather it bases upon peer-reviewed research published in reputable journals. As far as I restrict myself to citable argumentation, I should be fine.

Good luck with that! This individual has already made up their mind. Any mention of a myth will have them in a defensive position, ready to turn on caps lock. Then you will only reinforce the erroneous beliefs you set out to disprove.

Fine, I shall not proceed.

(repeat)

Ultimately, these are my friends. Former training buddies, in some cases relatives, or even an occasional lecturer. Sitting idly has not worked once. If anything, one myth seems to build on the other. A guy who thought Coca-Cola Zero contained no calories now shares blogs which propose that smoking is beneficial. Not a true story (yet) but you get the idea.
Is it my responsibility as a student of science to embark on this quest? Or is the exercise in vain, at best up to representatives of the corresponding fields of study?
By the way, there is no evidence that the Earth is round... (Yes, a bad joke I left for last.)

Indeed, there is a good bit of evidence that the Earth is not round at all!

This question is probably too open-ended and opinion-based to belong on this site unfortunately, even though I think it's a good question to discuss and debate. My personal view is that yes, as a knowledged member of society you have some responsibility to inform others. However, I don't think that is the same as a responsibility that others are informed - people might have many reasons not to listen to scientific wisdom, and some can be convinced and some cannot. It's up to the individual to decide what the limits are on their time and patience.

@BryanKrause Agreed. I did spend time reading and browsing various .SE sites. Academia seemed best but not perfectly suited. As for your personal view, it conforms with my own. Open to hear other ideas as well, and you should probably write up a short answer if you have the time!

Oh, and just so we are on the same page. Certainly I affirm numerous ideas which do not hold up to scrutiny. Though initially difficult, if this is demostrated, I view it as a growing experience. Something to be grateful for. Thus in the spirit of treat others as you wish to be treated I should be more active.

Is this not just over the borderline of being off-topic?

You can't save everyone from ignorance. There will always be ignorami. :)

The only thing that is round in this world is the soccer ball! ;-)

@101010111100 +1 for introducing me to a new plural form. Wish I could use it in Estonian (native language). Massimo Ortolano, thank you for the down to earth analogy ;)

I don't understand in what way sitting idly has not worked for you.  I haven't understood what you've done in these situations, and in what way it hasn't worked for you. // As you progress academically, you will probably find yourself facing this problem less and less often.  Of course your family will not go away.  So they're the ones you really need to think about.  How to preserve your relationships as you get farther and farther apart intellectually.  My advice there is to take the time periodically to talk to family members about what you're excited about from your studies.

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it has nothing to do with academia.

@RoboKaren Wouldn't go as far as to state the topic has nothing to do with academia. It does somewhat relate to the life of a (graduate) student and expectations to an academian, even pedagogy. Perhaps that is because that is what I wished to find ;). In the end I agree with the closing. As a last straw, do you think it could be reworded or mitigated somewhere more suitable? (Final argument to support some other action: how are posts like these more on-topic considering the do-not-ask @ Help

I think you should say more, but definitely don't respond all the time, and definitely don't be too harsh all the time.
It's not black and white, and you have to judge every time if it's worth it, if it's your place to say something and if anybody benefits from you saying it.
Compare it too remarks about looks. You'd tell a friend he should wear another color, you'd tell a colleague that his sweater is inside out, you'd tell a stranger on the elevator that a label is sticking out, but internet remarks about how Britney looks nowadays are completely useless.


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Stuck completing master's thesis
I started to my master thesis in a company in March, it's a new design project about the product they produce. First month was just spent on the getting all the information, technical drawings and they couldn't provide me laptop so I had to wait etc. In April I started to produce some ideas but my supervisor in company isn't helpful so much, doesn't give me input a lot, he was just saying yes or no to my ideas and after first 2 weeks of April, he started to complain and said that I can't find so many ideas and the ones that I found are not working. This made me more uncomfortable and stressed and now I am not sure that I can find that perfect idea and complete this thesis.
We had some problems because of the language of course; he speaks German with dialect and expects me to understand him 100%, but it's hard if you're a foreigner and German is your 3rd language and this problem also partly caused this lack of progress.
My professor is more understanding and trying to help, and offered to have a meeting with 3 of us, but today in the meeting my supervisor kind of blamed me and said normally it was working with German students and if you applied for this job you should be able to talk and understand fluently. I don't think that it is fair comment because in my CV, my German speaking level was not written as fluent and I thought they accepted me with knowing this. Also I didn't know about the dialect.
So until next week I need to find 5 new ideas to present but I am so stressed and feeling under pressure and can`t think about anything and generally because of that comments I am constantly feeling really bad and incapable. So I am considering dropping out of the thesis and finding a new topic. Would you recommend doing this?

Have you discussed this with your supervisor, as they seem more understanding?

Maybe he simply does not know / aware of that his dialect poses a big problem to you. Nevertheless, I propose that you try to learn his dialect a bit, concerning phonetics, words and grammar, e. g. by using https://deutsch-bairisch.de/  (for this specific dialect). It is a bit of work, but I think it will be worth the effort.

@user7427029 Even with german as the first language I struggle with some of the dialects that are spoken in Germany. Learning dialect with german as the third language is probably not helpful here. However, if the company supervisor came off as more understanding, OP could consider telling him that he/she struggles with the dialect, possibly asking him to speak „Hochdeutsch“ in OPs presence. Unfortunately, the company supervisor does not seem that understanding of the language barrier.

,,Ich auch" (me too), but the struggle comes from hearing them without really having learned them before. I could imagine that the prof simply is not able to speak Hochdeutsch. Thus, the next step depend wether the prof is ready to acknowledge the problem and ready to speak Hochdeutsch.

(1) Who eventually marks the thesis? Does the company supervisor even have to do with that? (2) "my German speaking level was not written as fluent and I thought they accepted me with knowing this" - did you explicitly tell this the company supervisor? They may think it's your fault but it isn't, as far as I understand.

I think it is up to you to decide whether you speak well enough to be willing to study in that language. It is not the university's role to tell you whether you speak well enough German or not. They may have some threshold for how well you have to be able to speak/understand but they cannot know for example how much effort you are willing to put into improving your German so it makes sense to make the threshold low.

If the company really needed so much working ideas on their product, they should hire a professional, not expecting them from a master student. Stick this thought in your brain, and then proceed. During thesis&internship you should demonstrate independt thinking, but you are still a student.
You can ask your professor a meeting asking bout the opportunity of continuing this (painful) experience with the advisor or to try a new start with a different company (would be an issue for you to graduate 6 months later? what is at stake that prevent you from restarting the thesis internship?).
You can put all the points you mentioned here in a neutral way (i.e. "he said that I can't find so many ideas and the ones that I found are not working" == "they expect to have new and working ideas from the university", or "my supervisor in company isn't helpful so much" == "we could not build an effective working relation").
Regarding the 5 ideas: you do not need to believe in them, and they cannot possibly be all productive ideas (if you had 5 bright, productive ideas, you would not be rotting working in such environment, you know this ... and even your supervisor would know that). So dig yourself in the library, look at the conference proceedings of biggest conferences related to the thesis subject, pick the ideas making claims you can barely understand, present them.


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What do you suggest to keep track of new published papers?
I already know of the app Researcher, but lately I found it is quite buggy and was wondering what people do to keep updated. Do you just join mailing list from selected journals or search daily for some keywords? Or is there something else I could use?

For Pubmed listed research use a keyword alert via email?

I have RSS feeds on Feedly for all the major journals in my field, and I scan the titles every few days. Fortunately it is not a huge field, so this isn't too difficult - I can imagine it would be an overwhelming amount of information in some fields.


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One week to go in the final PhD submission and I have lost the will to work on it. Help!
I have less than a week left in my PhD submission - it's due by 9th of December. This is almost the end of my fourth year and I have been able to edit it several times since I completed the first draft.
So I planned out my week to read each chapter a day and finalise everything. But, I am tired sitting in my room watching TV instead of following my plan. It's been two days I haven't looked at it. I have completely lost the will to work on it and have no motivation to work on it whatsoever. In fact I am rather planning what I need to do after submission rather really working through it now till the submission date. My neck is in pain and I just feel drained out.
I can't believe what happened to me suddenly. I worked on it well in the past almost four years.
Has it happened to anyone else here? How I can bounce back to get advantage from this last few days that I have left in my submission? How I can motivate myself again to work on it?

See Strategies to overcome “academic-apathy” in the final stages of the PhD?

Go party and get drunk. Hopefully next day your blockage goes away.

See if you can do only 15 minutes. That's not that hard, right? Then do it again.

Plan something sinfully fun for when you're finished. Plan on spending weeks celebrating the holidays without thinking about research, put together a full weekend of activities with friends, splurge and buy yourself a new TV or video game console or a lot of an indulgent desert you love but don't get often - something that will last several days at least and is nothing but pure joy for you. You will have absolutely earned it when you're finished, and knowing that you have something incredible coming up will make it easier to soldier through for just a few more short days.

Alternate between going for a walk around the block and working for 15-30 minutes until 9:30 tonight.  (don't forget to eat a well balanced meal for dinner with very little sugar/carbs)  sleep for a minimum of 6 hours before getting up and repeating the cycle.  It NEVER fails.

I agree  with lostsoul29, but I will add a couple of additional thoughts as that answer did not address all aspects of your question.

For your neck pain, I recommend using Tiger Balm (specifically, the patches rather than the goop which can be messy).  After writing much of my master's thesis on a laptop while sitting on a couch, I developed "military neck," or a loss of the natural curvature in my neck.  The pain made it so hard to sit at the computer b/c that's what aggravated it most. I get chiropractic care for that and have had success there, but for you, you need an immediate solution and, as I said, Tiger Balm.
Remove your TV.  Sounds like this is your crutch.  It's easy, it's there and when the volume is loud enough you can momentarily ignore the stress you're feeling.  Maybe you can simply unplug it to make turning it on a more conscious decision, but I would go so far as to ask a friend to store it at their apartment for the time being.  This may sound dramatic, but it's extremely effective.
Go for a run, or some sort of vigorous cardiac exercise. Take just 1/10th of the time you've been watching TV and exercise instead (that is, you clearly have the time so that is not an excuse).  Not only is this a great way to increase blood flow to your brain and help clear the fog, it will help with your neck pain as well.  That was the only other thing that helped mine (besides Tiger Balm and, eventually, getting treatment).
Be kind to yourself.  So you took a couple days off? Big deal.  Do not be mean or self degrading.  Move on.  Do not think about how much there is to get done, just do the next thing. And then after that, do the next thing. Rinse and repeat. When you start that negative inner dialogue try stopping it quickly. My mantra is something like, "that thought doesn't serve me well, let's move on." When I start thinking of the next 5 things I have to do, I think, "just do the next thing," repeatedly as a way of focusing me on the task at hand. These might seem cheesy, but I find them effective, and you may need them if you follow through on step 3 and no longer have your TV to drown out your inner dialogue.

This answer is based on my own experiences being in your position.  I am terrible procrastinator so, sadly, I have lots of experience in this department. Wishing you the best of luck!

Hi - thank you so much for providing very good guidance. The tips you offered might actually work.

As a CS guy (who spends large amounts of time in front of a computer and has older colleagues who've been at it for decades) I wouldn't so much recommend tiger balm for issue #1 but a complete change of habits in the future. Do long amounts of work at a real desk with a monitor and keyboard that are correctly configured for your height and make regular breaks. Otherwise you'll have big health problems later in life! Ahem, otherwise good answer, although I think I'll have to stop procrastinating now :(

For future reference, Stephen Pressfield wrote a great book named 'The War of Art' about how crazy procrastination can get, writer's block and some tactics at to how to overcome both. I'd advice OP against reading it now since it's quite a book and he has little time, but perhaps for future readers with more time on their hands. Also available in audio book for easier combining with actually doing useful stuff. No affiliation.

You forgot sleep!  Eat, Sleep, and Exercise is the answer here.

Hi Thanks for all the help you guys have provided me here. It certainly helped me to get back on the track.

So glad you're feeling motivated again, Ahmad! You got this!  @Voo, I totally agree with you, creating the correct workspace configuration is very important. Indeed, yours is a treating the cause approach. However, with less than a week to go, and given that reorganizing does not eliminate pain in the immediate term, I would still argue for treating the symptom in this case.

@kindred Very true, while it's never too soon to start, if the OP is more comfortable writing slouched on the couch it'll be acceptable for one more week :-)

Chiro is a pseudoscience, why the hell are you recommending it on "academia"? Do you actually believe in subluxation? Chiropractors are not licenced medical workers, they are professional quacks.

No, I do not actually believe in subluxation. I was treated with active release technique (ART), not adjustments. Still I wouldn't consider ART a legitimate science. But, that doesn’t actually matter. I also have a copper IUD, and it's very effective, but scientists have no idea why. More importantly, academia is a community of people in the pursuit of scholarship and, yes, scientific research. At its core it is about discussing ideas and pursuing knowledge with respect and integrity. In this case, @Davor, I would argue that you are the one that is out of line.

@kindredChords - do you think we should also discuss ideas like creationism and horoscopes?

Well, first of all, I don't really know whether additional work will result in an improved thesis.  Maybe your subconscious just knows when to stop!
However... IF there are a few last things to fill in, loose threads to tie up, etc., then you need the following:

A to-do list.  Jot down the tasks that remain, and prioritize them.  You might not have the oomph to do all of them.
A change of scenery.  Pack up the things you need and go work somewhere else, such as a quiet library.  At this point, you might find it helpful to get off campus and go to a public library frequented by children and non-academics.  Perhaps a window with a nice view would be helpful, to try to get some work done, despite your feeling of burn-out.
Inspiration.  Re-read some piece of scientific writing whose style gives you a real kick.
Encouragement.  Show or send some favorite bits to a friend, someone who will appreciate them and enthuse.  Pre-write some stubborn bit by explaining what you want to write to your friend.
Pain relief for your neck.  Consider: heating pad, hot water bottle, hot bath with epsom salts, ibuprofen, Tylenol, chiropractor, physical therapy, massage.
A really fun reward.  Promise yourself something fun for the end of each day, and then follow through.

Plus 1 for change in scene.  Go 'live' in a cafe for a couple of days.  With headphones.  You can't watch TV, do cleaning chores, sorting out closets, etc. if you aren't actually there.  Makes being productive easier due to less alternatives.

@FighterJet Yes!  Stack Exchange is the worst!  The most moral thing we could do would be to stop making it such an interesting place to spend time!  :D

Hi this really helped. I made a to-do-list and stuck to it. Cheers for a helpful answer.

@Ahmad - I've been there, brother.  Happy editing!

I'm in a similar boat. My Masters thesis is due in three days, and I've completed most of the revisions suggested by my advisor. However, until two days ago, I had lost the motivation to complete the final set of major revisions. I motivated myself by:

Telling myself that I've spent the last two years working on this, and although I could spend a lot more time working on what I love, I need to move on to bigger things.
Although writing is stressful and a drain of energy, I love how every single revision makes my work better. Years later when I look back on these days, do I want to see a passionate, hungry perfectionist at work, or a big whining crybaby who barely got through?
Drink coffee, lots of it. Its not healthy to drink a lot of it, but it gets the job done.

Be careful with coffee if you're not accustomed to drinking it. A large, sudden increase in coffee consumption might give you a stomach pain to accompany your neck pain.

@Andreas To emphasize the legitimacy of you concerns:  You may also experience Nervousness, Jitters, Sweating, Nausea... That's what happened to me in a similar situation. These symptoms lasted for several hours and were severe enough that I had to stop working, lay down and wait for it to be over before returning to my desk. So, overdosing on caffeine may actually cost you valuable, productive time instead of earning you some.

Indulge in the feeling, temporarily.
The anxiety produced by fighting the lack of motivation and feeling like it's wrong to feel that way, is far more detrimental than understanding that it's ok to be a little burned out and take a short break.
Take a day or two, be a bum and put it off, but make sure that when you get done with that day or two that you understand the importance of getting back to the grindstone.
Most importantly, congratulations on your achievement.

So I planed out my week to read each chapter a day and finalise
  everything. But, I am tired... Its been two days I haven't looked at it.

So I gather that you're at the stage where you're doing minor clean-up, and you're finding it nearly impossible to concentrate on reading your thesis. I'm not surprised! You're probably seeing most of the text for the fourth or fifth time. Your eyes may be looking at the page, but what you "see" is what you think you wrote, not what's actually there.
So my trick is to read the thesis out loud. It's much easier to concentrate because you're taking a more active role, and you'll catch all sorts of things you would never notice otherwise. Don't try to do it all at once; break it up into short sections or you will strain your voice. And if you do strain your voice, you can get almost as good results by reading silently but moving your lips while you read. Yes, you'll look funny, but it will help you to concentrate.

It's pretty common. If you know you're not up to working on it on one particular day, decide to do twice as much work the next day--- provided that you're confident you can actually hold yourself to it. It's like trying to fall asleep at night: If you're just not tired, then lying awake in the dark is not helpful; get up, do something productive or at least enjoyable, and try again when you're ready. If you're finishing up a PhD, you have the time-management skills to finish up on time; just be honest about what you can actually finish in a day, and don't push yourself past the point where it becomes counterproductive. If it helps to motivate you, schedule some sort of reward (vacation, dinner at a nice restaurant, etc.) after you're done.

Hi very effective tips - thanks. Yes London holidays have been booked next week

@Ahmad: Enjoy the trip!

Consider this a completely separate challenge.  You are going to hit walls like this in your life.  You are clearly burned out on motivating yourself to work on your PhD; so make this into a meta-challenge--motivate yourself to figure out the answer to this question:  "What works for me when I've hit a wall on a big project?"
This is a psychological self-hack.  Get your brain out of the "I must motivate myself to work on my PhD" rut, and work on this new challenge.  You will know, going forward, what to do with a wall when you hit it.  This gives you something positive to look forward to, namely, having something in your personal toolkit to overcome future challenges.

best of luck! If you havent lost the will to work on it by the end - then you havent had the proper PhD experience.
I am with the guy who tells you to get drunk. Just get drunk, go party (make sure you keep hydrated - dont end up hung over) and then finish it off.
Also - dont try to sit and work on it for too long. 20 minute bursts, 10 minutes off, and set a goal as to what you want to  achieve every time you sit down.

P.S. I did the same as you [https://www.reddit.com/user/pantsparty/] - I started a reddit acount ant started complaining on the internet.

Thank you much. Its going well and Friday is coming very soon.

I know this is old, but I am in a similar situation right now with just a few weeks to go and a "preliminary deadline" before the official submission in a weeks time.
What has worked for me in the last days was this:

Get a professional relaxation massage Everything hurt. The massage did not completely cure that, I am just too tense. But it was a difference like day and night that I felt in my ability to focus after that massage. I instantly booked another one for the morning after my "preliminary deadline".
Find your personal cheerleader I did not actively search for one, but my boyfriend has put it upon himself to cheer me on, every evening and occasionally throughout the day. It might sound cheesy, but a short "You're doing awesome!"-type message on the phone can set free the energy you need to do even better.
Retreat Explain to your friends that you are crazy stressed right now and tell them when the deadline is and that you will be back to chat and do outings at that time. I just asked for people to understand that I suffer from being interrupted and that if I feel the need to socialize I would reach out to them. But also that this would be temporary and of course I am always there if it's important.
Do not indulge in taking time off Contrary to what others have said and what I would normally say for a stressful time, when it is this close to the deadline, indulging and taking a day off or so might be a problem, because a day is not enough if it is that bad, but enough time off will make you miss your deadline. So now is the time to power through. Having to pick up yourself from slacking off takes time and strength we do not have right now.
Plan Mak a short list of the days you still have and what you would like to get done (roughly) on each day. At the end of each day, make a more detailed list for the next one. And then go ticking off. Usually, the achievement of ticking something off the list gives me a feeling of accomplishment and a short energy boost, just enough to start on another item. And of course, if you can reach a flow of working you can always do more (and reward yourself with a buffer day of nothing at the end in the best case).

See it that way: There is a dreaded deadline ahead. But ahead of that is the time after the deadline... when you are done.


text:
What is " companion proceedings" in a conference?
“All Web Science track papers will be published in the companion proceedings of the WWW conference." (http://www.www2015.it/call-for-web-science-track/)
What does " companion proceedings" mean？ What are the differences of it with the main proceedings?

There's no major difference between "main" proceedings and "companion" proceedings. It just means that there will be a proceedings volume that collects the papers. Perhaps the only possible item might be that it's not a dedicated series—it might be a special journal issue that serves as a proceedings volume.

For a conference, can I say the quality of papers published in "main" proceedings > "companion" proceedings >> workshops? ( > for better quality and higher influential ; >> much better quality)

Often a "main" proceedings collects the papers from the main conference tracks and "companion" proceedings collects the papers of satellite events, such as workshops and such things.
In some cases, only the "main" proceedings is considered as a publication (in Computer Science, at least) and the "companion" proceedings is not.

What does it mean if those one are not considered as publication? They don't be publically released and no copyright thing?

@Tyler: maybe they appear as a technical report, not something published by a recognised publisher.


text:
Do you necessarily need to wait one year before attending a PhD in the US?
I see many LinkedIn profiles from Ivy League graduates that start a Ph.D. program only a few months after they get their Bachelor's (assuming that they graduate early in the summer). Given that graduate applications are usually open from October through December and programms start in August-September of the following year, how is that possible?

Isn't it more that applications are open Oct.-Dec. and that admissions are usually for the following August or September?

In all phases of a US student's career, it is understood that many people will be applying based on their anticipated graduation date, rather than having already graduated.  Thus:

High school students apply for colleges in the fall, even though they won't graduate until the end of spring.
Undergraduates apply for graduate schools in the fall, even though they won't graduate until the end of spring.
Ph.D. candidates apply for postdoctoral positions the fall or early spring, even though they won't graduate until the end of spring.
Postdocs apply for faculty positions in the fall, even though they typically have contract commitments through the spring or summer.

This does leave a problem of what can happen if one fails to actually graduate as anticipated.  It is, however, generally the case that technically offers are made contingent on the current phase of one's career completing as anticipated.  Usually this is a fairly safe bet, since it is unlikely that a strong candidate will suddenly plunge in performance so badly that they cannot graduate.  In some cases, however, it will happen and in that case either:

The offering institution may with withdraw their offer, or
The offering institution may allow the candidate to defer for a year, or
The offering institution may allow the candidate to start anyway.

The second is much more likely to happen in cases where the unexpected failure to progress is due to external circumstances, such as serious illness or having a child, which would not cause an institution to reassess one's potential, and the third where everything is done except some final formalities (e.g., a graduate student has defended their thesis but starts a postdoc before depositing).
The chances also depend on the stage of one's career: there is often a great deal of flexibility for faculty start dates, for example, while postdocs are often tied to specific funding with a specific non-deferrable timeframe.

Some institutions offer spring admissions as well. I started my PhD in January of 1998 in the US, on purpose due a planned December 1997 graduation date.

I am an international student, so I wasn't familiar with that principle and I don't know if the above apply for my case. I am mostly searching for Biology PhDs and seem surprised as the FAQs that I've came across mention holding a primary degree as a requirement.

@civy, you typically need to hold the degree to start the program not to be admitted. Otherwise there would be a major stall, as you note, in the pipeline of students all taking a year off and letting their skills go stale between undergraduate and graduate work.

Postdocs sometimes start before their degree is officially "conferred", though typically the dissertation and defense have already been completed.
The postdoc dates depend a lot on the field and even the particular lab's funding source. The same lab might even have one position tied to a specific grant/project (with a specified start date) and another "open" position with more flexibility on the work and start date.

3. The offering institution may allow the candidate to start anyway.  (This was the policy at my undergraduate institution.)

@Matt Good point --- I forgot to add that case despite also knowing people for whom it applied.

Just curious, but does this mean that your final grades typically don't influence your acceptance and opportunity to start? (As long as they remain passing).

@Dennis Jaheruddin:  Yes, typically that is true.  As long as you graduate, you can enter a program at the next level that you have been accepted into.  There are exceptions, however.  (It seems like Princeton wanted an update on my final grades when I considered applying there as an undergrad.)

I started the first level of my current job while I was still writing my dissertation. Everything else was done, but I didn't officially start my new duties for 5 or 6 months.


text:
My advisor said he has to mention my mental health condition in recommendation letters. How much can he say?
During my PhD I suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, that was officially diagnosed. I had to stay away from the University for a year, however this issue didn't affect at all my productivity and I carried on my research with several publications.
When asking for recommendation letters, my supervisor told me he is forced to mention my problem, underlining my health issues.
I would like to know how much he can write about my mental health, also considering that the academic work didn't suffer at all from this.

I worked in the United Kingdom. I think he won't mention the particular issue I had, he will mention that I had "a mental issue".

I question whether it is ethical or possibly even legal for your supervisor to do this. In the US, if you were physically handicapped, the ADA would provide a set of protections (I don't know how broad). But it would be very strange to feel compelled to mention it!

Maybe if he says nothing, recipients of the letter will be wondering why you stayed away from the University for a year.

While for your Ph.D work it didn't matter all that much that you could not be present at the university for a long time, if you become a post-doc then having the same problem again would seriously impede your work.

If you're work progressed I see no reason why he needs to mention it. It sounds a bit like he is retaliating because you were gone for a year... I think you should ask him about his reasons.

Does your university have an inclusion-of-disabled-people office or  Employee Committee  something the like? These people should know very precisely what is allowed, what is good (how to find a good formulation for one year away on ill-health but still working on the thesis), what needs to be said, and what (legally) must not be mentioned. (I'm in Germany, here what your illness is and whom you tell what about it is your own decision. Even the not-fit-for-work certificates do not name the illness - they only state you're not fit to do your work.)

Even by the law I think his supervisor shouldn't write anything about his GAD. But even if he can, it is so wrong. Who bloody cares what someone has?! GAD, autism, schizoaffective disorder, etc. Who cares, just do your job. And even if you have some issue due to your health then you should get professional support. I know decent number of people who work in academia and have some disorder and no one cares. Especially for GAD, c'mon, that is so common thing.

I would like to know how much he can write about my mental health, also considering that the academic work didn't suffer at all from this.

According to some of organizations: "The Americans with Disabilities Act recognizes that employers may sometimes have to disclose medical information about applicants or employees. " But also they claim: "The basic legal principle that employers should follow is not to reveal medical information about you unless there is a legitimate business reason to do so. But because that standard is fairly vague, there are laws which more specifically protect the privacy of your medical records, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the law which makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of an employee's disability."
For UK you may find more information on NHS website and Equality Act 2010 Guidance for employees.
If you ask me I would say that it is not actually ethical to write about your mental health if your job didn't suffer from that. For some careers there are some health restrictions (e.g. pilots, surgeons, etc.) but I've never seen that for academic work. More to say, I know people who have GAD, OCD, etc. and they have never had significant issues in academic life. But I also have to say that people usually don't take year off because of mental health issue, especially not for GAD. From your post I can't see if the GAD is a main reason of one year off. If it isn't the main reason then I don't understand why your supervisor has a need to write it in recommendation letter. But, if GAD is your main reason why you needed to stay away from University than I don't understand how your mental health didn't affect your productivity when it is even though you continued to work. Whatever the case is, I wouldn't like that my supervisor writes "a mental issue" because for me it sounds serious and Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually doesn't sound due to prevalence "GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the U.S. population"
Shortly, I don't think he should write about your mental health when you obviously continued to work. It is your private information, there are some laws about it and I am worried that you will be discriminate because of that.
My advice: Talk with your supervisor, find out why he thinks that he is forced to write it in recommendation letter (that is really strange) and please look more into the laws and send them to him if it is needed.

This is somewhere a grey area. The problem is not the productivity - the supervisor seems anxious that, if the OP will stay away from work for a year somewhere, the supervisor will be sued for not mentioning possible reasons for complete absence; and he does not seem courageous enough to take the risk of just concentrating on the results in his reference (which is what would be perfectly possible to do). However, there are positions where more emphasis is on presence than on performance, so the supervisor may see his position as justified, even if I would not agree. Check status with a lawyer.

Do not get my last "check status" comment as a suggestion to threaten the supervisor with a lawyer, consider it just as a fact-checking exercise.

If you received significant special accommodations while doing your PhD, e.g., double-time on your exams (especially comprehensive written exams and such) and other special help during your research period (was he easier on you and gave you more guidance and answers and harder on other students?), I am guessing that he feels that he must write a "fair" letter of recommendation, stating how you received special help -- and as a result of the special help, you were able to be a productive student and researcher.  I highly doubt he will say much more than this, because your privacy is likely protected by several different laws.
I'm really not sure, though -- so this is just something for you to consider.

There's probably a misinterpretation going on.  I suspect your advisor wants to explain something to the people reading it, rather than "warn" them.  Something like:

he took a year off because he was ill

is okay to say.

you should be aware that he has condition X

may actually be illegal to say, and I would not want to receive such a letter.  The people receiving it are suddenly at risk for a discrimination case if they do not give the position and it can be credibly shown that the reason was the disability.
So - ask your supervisor why he feels he needs to mention it.  In parallel, contact your university's disabilities office to get a response.  If you are uncomfortable with your supervisor's reason, tell him the advice you got from the disabilities office.
To give you an idea of how seriously some universities take various regulations - I had to have permission from an undergraduate to include their grade in a letter of recommendation.