text:
Misguided plagiarism phobia - is it a thing? (mainly related to difficulties in understanding English)
I'm an enthusiastic contributor to one or two sites that help learners of English. I've noticed a problem that crops up again and again.
Many non-native speakers of English make efforts to disguise a quotation that they haven't understood when asking for help with its meaning.
I suspect this is because they have had it drilled into them that plagiarism is a deadly sin (which it is of course).
What they don't appear to realise is that a correct quotation with a proper attribution to the original author is good practice.
Perhaps none of this would matter but for the fact that their attempt to rewrite a sentence that they already don't understand, usually ends up so mangled as to be incomprehensible. (I don't want to single anyone out but if it's vital to the discussion I could provide a link to such a question)
In my experience this practice is common amongst students of whatever discipline who haven't understood a particular phrase when reading a text-book or academic paper.
Question
I can't imagine I'm the only one to have noticed this. Is it a phenomenon that is recognised by teachers in general? If so what do you do about it? Better still, is there a way to propagate the distinction between copying and quoting so that teachers world-wide are not misleading their students?

Example
I have invented an example for the sake of clarity.

The student submits the following question to English Language Stack
Exchange:
How can I use the expression "distant type"?
I saw a friend write the sentence, "X got bigger because of distant type Y"
What does this mean? How can I use it?

On investigation it turns out that the original was

"... obtained results suggesting a totally unexpected acceleration in
the expansion of the universe by using distant type Ia supernovae as
standard candles..."
Accelerating universe From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you think this example is exaggerated, I can assure you it is not. I see this sort of thing all the time.

NOTE
I raised this issue on English Language Meta. The difference is that
there I was explicitly asking about ways to deal with the phenomenon on Stack Exchange. Here I am asking if there is a solution (or even a problem) with regard to academic students when pursuing formal courses. I see this as sufficiently different to justify both questions.

That's very funny. Maybe if "plagiarism" wasn't a word, things would be better. A word like "plagiarism" is repeated as an evil, and listeners internalize it even if they do not fully understand it. They make up their own definition pieced together from context. Happens to a lot of "big" words. If we just taught people to 1) not lie about having thought of something and 2) use cites to help readers find information, then I think there would be a lot less confusion.

I must agree with chasly.
I have come from the backgrounds of monastic education in Burma. They have a very different perspective on plagiarism. For these people, quoting an authority on the subject matter is for the sake of learned readers who will not believe an author on his or her own words. Therefore:
1) Even though the quoted text is in Pali, an ancient Buddhist language, translations are usually not provided. For, if you are a learned reader, you are expected to already know Pali.
2) The text is quoted only by title, or sometimes with the chapter title, but page numbers are never given. It means: if you are not learned enough to find out the quoted text on your own, you are not qualified to question the author's words.
See also the pages (611-617) of the following paper Intellectual Property in Early Buddhism.

An interesting point. I am wondering what westerners say about the Bible.

Since posing the question I've found a related one that I think may provide a partial explanation.
Can authors from certain origins really not know about the gravity of plagiarism?
The paragraph from there that caught my eye was this:

In some traditional cultures in Asia and the Middle East, for example, college students are expected to quote or paraphrase the best known political or religious authorities without attribution because readers, especially professors, are expected to know what texts are being circulated. Indeed, it might be a serious insult to the teacher if the student writer formally cites the text being borrowed.
Cultural Perspectives on Plagiarism

I have to say, I've noticed that the problem I have been describing tends to come from people of Asian origin. I hesitated to voice that as I wondered if there was any statistical reality to my observation.
My answer now is that it's likely a case of culture clash. Maybe it will sort itself out eventually.

I think the half sentence that follows the "In some traditional cultures ..." statement as an exaplanation is essential to understand the sentence. At least, for readers of your post, it can change the first impression of the sentence from "Those cultures encourage blindly believing in widely circulated statements without knowing the source." to "Those cultures encourage being so aware of important authors that explicit attribution is not seen as necessary."

@O.R.Mapper, very good.

@O.R.Mapper - I've extended the quote.

I can't imagine I'm the only one to have noticed this.

You're not alone, bro. I'm an enthusiastic contributor to a technical forum (about electronics, physics and maths) and I observe this phenomenon for every single question which refers to a book, article, webpage etc. of whatever subject. Moreover, when asked to provide a reference, most users seem unable to provide a complete reference (questions come frequently from university students at the undergraduate level and the misbehaviour is common also between the more experienced ones).

is there a way to propagate the distinction between copying and quoting so that teachers world-wide are not misleading their students?

Your question makes two tacit assumptions which are not generally true. The first assumption is that students all over the world receive a sound and complete education on how to write an essay (and about plagiarism); the second is that students are able to recognize that many rules that apply to a long piece of writing also apply to short writings like questions asked on the internet.
In other words: you think that the problem lies in the distinction between copying and quoting, but I think that the problem is actually much deeper and tougher, that is, there is more to do from the teachers around the world.

Thank goodness -  I was having an existential crisis for a while!  The part that puzzled me most was why they should go to all the effort of changing the original phrase (and thereby making it incomprehensible) when they could simply give the original, even if they didn't realise they should mention the source.  I think I've found a clue and I'm going to answer my own question (in part)-

@chaslyfromUK: in fact, there are really two different issues: i) inability to understand that not only is a correct quotation good practice, but also necessary to answer their question; ii) inability to provide a citation.

Yes, I'm afraid you're right. Looking on the bright side, I suppose that's what education is for. They'll get it eventually.

I think that when being taught about plagiarism (and that it should be avoided), students should also learn how to cite and how to quote.
They should learn

how to quote a sentence or two
how to quote a block text
how to paraphrase
how to cite a reference

By the way, paraphrasing does not lift the obligation to cite the source of the original text.

You say, "By the way, paraphrasing does not lift the obligation to cite the source of the original text". I wholeheartedly agree. I suspect that the perpetrators have become paranoid about being discovered as a plagiarist in an online search by their tutors.

Thanks for your reply but it doesn't quite address my question. I agree that students should be taught in the way you suggest. What I'm looking for is a way to spread awareness among the teachers - especially those in countries where Westernised norms of essay writing are relatively new.


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Is publishing with SpringerBriefs vanity publication for a beginner researcher?
I am a beginning researcher and am unsure as to the academic worth/usefulness for my career to publish with SpringerBriefs. Would it be seen as a vanity publication?

It is peer reviewed?

Do you plan to use this to publish your PhD thesis? Do you have other publications already, or would this be your first?

It might be worth contacting them and asking if there is a peer review process.

Hi, thank you for your responses.   I just heard back from the editor, saying that the manuscript will be external reviewed. I finished my PhD a year ago, and have one article published in a journal, and one article published in conference proceeding.

Think "short book", not "long paper". There's been several questions here about the value of publishing a book (e.g., Is there any value in self-publishing a book as an academic? or Pros and cons of (co-)authoring a reference book in early career?), and the answers apply here as well. In short, the fact of having published a book carries virtually no weight (at least in most fields), but a good book can have a long-term impact.
Original research should in general be published in a peer-reviewed journal (or conference), not a book. But if you've written a few papers on a topic that you think would benefit from a consistent notation, cleaned-up presentation, extended introduction and literature review; or if you have a set of lecture notes on a current hot topic you are particularly proud of and would like to see get wider attention (preferring to trust the power of Springers marketing department instead of the vagaries of Google), then publishing them as a SpringerBrief could make sense for you. Whether it'd be worth the effort to get them into shape (and it will cost effort) is something you have to decide for yourself.

As for the peer review, I talked with a Springer representative at the 2016 Joint Math Meeting and she clarified as follows: two rounds of peer review, once when an author indicates a desire to publish a Springer Briefs (signs the paperwork, submits a table of contents and a couple chapters), and once when the work is completed.

Its not entirely clear from its website, but it appears that SpringerBriefs is not peer reviewed.  At least, that's what I get from their author instructions starting with:

Springer Briefs are designed to get your ideas to market as fast as
  possible. With this aim in mind, we  have outlined simple instructions
  for manuscript formatting, preparation, and delivery. After you have
  delivered your manuscript to editorial and it is transmitted to our
  production department, the  manuscript will be assigned to one of our
  full-service production vendors (FSVs).

Given that, my assessment is that publication in this venue is likely to be essentially worthless from a scientific career point of view: it's not peer reviewed, so it's not giving you any more credit than depositing the same text in a repository like arXiv, and it gets you much less exposure than something like arXiv because people have to buy it to read it.

It is mentioned that they have editorial; they may do the peer review for the received manuscript or they may have a policy on reviewing the received text.

@EnthusiasticStudent Like I said, it's not entirely clear.  Real peer reviewed publications, however, typically advertise that fact clearly.

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Distributing your own papers in your thesis
I published three papers during my PhD, I'm now writing my thesis.
I have written three chapters, each based around each paper, but re-written so as not to fall foul of self-plagiarism rules. However, I've still used ALL of the figures from the publication in the chapters.
My concern is not really with this aspect of my thesis, though please tell me if I've misunderstood.
Finally, in the appendix, as reference, I have included the PDF files of my published papers, exactly as they are from the journal website.
Am I allowed to do this?
If not, am I allowed to use my own copies of the paper (e.g. the versions submitted on the arXiv)?

Note, importantly, that rephrasing your old own work does not absolve you of charges of self plagiarism, nor is it actually required to avoid those charges. But it is the citing of the old work that makes it acceptable. You seem to have done that here, though in an odd way. Talk to your advisor. And make sure you know that you have enough rights retained after giving copyright to your publisher.

I don't understand why you are repeating the same material twice in your thesis. Each of your three papers is re-cast in a separate chapter in your thesis, and then verbatim in an appendix.
You most likely have assigned your original copyright in your papers to the journal that published them.
I think adding the papers as an appendix is unnecessary, and may fall foul of the journal's copyright. The interested reader should be pointed to the journal article relating to each of the three chapters.
If you reproduce substantially the same figures as that which appears in the journal -- to whom you've presumably assigned the copyright in the figures -- then you will need to ask for a license to reproduce those figures.

It really depends on the journal. For all the ones I've worked with, the author is allowed to reuse images and text unchanged for presentations and in a thesis. But it's always very clearly stated by the journal so check closely!

Refer to the publisher's copyright agreement. It should detail exactly what types of reuse are allowed for authors.
Reproducing your published articles in your thesis is generally permitted and indeed some universities require it as part of the thesis.
The only way to be sure is to directly check with the publisher(s) of your papers.
Here is an example from OUP Journals (source, emphasis mine):

Rights retained by ALL Oxford Journal authors

...
The right to include the article in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation, provided that this is not published commercially;

For the uses specified here, please note that there is no need for you
  to apply for written permission from Oxford University Press in
  advance. Please go ahead with the use ensuring that a full
  acknowledgment is made to the original source of the material
  including the journal name, volume, issue, page numbers, year of
  publication, title of article and to Oxford University Press and/or
  the learned society.

Here it is very clear that you are allowed to reproduce your papers published by OUP in your thesis and are not required to ask for permission.
Check with the publishers of your papers. It is very likely they have something along these lines in their copyright agreements.

For most publishers that do not provide such a general statement (some major commercial ones do not), you can still request a material reuse. (Surprisingly, there is a link for this in much more cases than a blanko statement.) You'd need to fill in some details, in most cases you'd get a permission for free.

I wrote then something among the lines of either "XXXXX has been licensed to Association for Computing Machinery, but the author retained his
copyright and is allowed to re-use it in his publications." or "YYYYY is Copyright © 2017
Springer~Nature. It has been reproduced with a kind permission of
Springer~Nature." My reasoning is that with a permission and such a phase somewhere in the front matter you are quite airtight in the copyright department.

First of all, this is a topic you HAVE TO discuss with your supervisor, no matter what we will tell you here.
The answer for me is clear: Use your papers in your thesis and use reference every time you are stating something important. It is important,before the abstract, use one page where you list your accepted papers (full description, including the publication), state your contribution (in case of multiple authors), and explain in a high level in which chapters you have used it.
For the Figures, just use references.
" but re-written so as not to fall foul of self-plagiarism rules"....Try to realize the role of a conference paper, a journal paper and a chapter and it's really easy to avoid the self-plagiarism rules. Once you realize their differences, you will do many changes, especially to the first two and the last two sections. Believe me.
No need to add as an appendix your accepted papers. You just need to declare them in your references.

Plagiarism is passing other people's work as your own. Self plagiarism is reusing your own work, while passing it for new. From an ethical point of view, there is no problem in reusing the figures, provided you indicate it as reproduced from the paper.
The copyright issue is trickier. Technically, in most cases, the journal owns the copyright, and you are not allowed to distribute it or reuse your figures without their permission. But, as many institutions follow a sandwich thesis (that is, the body of the thesis are the papers verbatim), the copyright transfer agreement explicitly permits this reproduction. You should look at what you signed and see if it applies. Otherwise, you should ask the journal.

It's not about need. I would like to have my full papers included in my appendix.

You are able to incorporate your published papers directly into your chapters if they are based on your thesis so long as you do not then attempt to publish your thesis as a book/ebook. See answer by me for further details.

You should ask the journal, that's true. However, rumours say that many people attach papers to their theses without the publishers' consent.

The below response may or may not be helpful depending on the copyright laws of your university/country etc (this is based on Australia):
I just completed my PhD so I can enlighten you a bit, having published papers during the course of my PhD that was then used in the body of my thesis.
I published an article based on a chapter I had written, and then reincorporated that article back into my chapter (effectively 'updating' the chapter).
I didn't have to worry about any copyright issues regarding tables/figures/material nor did I have to cite the information.I was able to really just copy and paste it in. All I had to do was write in my acknowledgements:

Parts of ___ have been previously published as (insert citation here).

I was able to do this, because I chose to NOT publish my thesis as an ebook through the university (nor did I choose to publish it as a book). Your thesis is not considered a publication unless it is published as an academic book, or as an ebook (online copies through the library are not considered ebooks). This also meant that any pictures (of which I had plenty) only required citation information/source information, but I did not have to seek permission to use those images. If I wanted to publish the images in a paper or book, I would have to seek permission.
If you are planning to publish your thesis as an ebook or academic book, that is when you will run into self-plagiarism issues.
My advice? Do not opt to publish your thesis as an ebook/academic book.  You've already published three papers (which is fantastic!) from your data, continue to go that route.
This means you can use as much as you want from your publications into your thesis.
Of course, this is the practice where I studied, as others have suggested, get in touch with your supervisor about these issues as well as the copyright experts (usually associated with the library).
Generally though, you don't have to worry about copyright regarding reincorporating your journal articles back into your thesis UNLESS you then decide to publish said thesis. You don't even need to cite the information you've used from your journal articles if they were formed from the data of your doctorate.
This is of course, based on the idea that your journal articles were based on your thesis chapters and are not too different/not relevant to your thesis.

In many places this is not an option. And I wouldn't advise it (except if there is sensitive data and other issues), if you took the time to write everything down, why not share it instead of burying in a drawer?

@Davidmh because for my particular thesis, it's better to  publish the chapters in reputable journals, as opposed to as an ebook that no one is going to read. Publishing your thesis straight as an ebook is not a good route to go, it's not considered a reputable academic book by a quality press. When I say ebook, I mean that the library has a process in which it will 'publish' as is, but this isn't going to count as a quality publication. You are better to either, draft journal articles from chapters OR turn your thesis into a proper, academic book in which rewriting would undoubtedly occur.

In the places I am familiar with, the university publishes the thesis, no matter what (in Sweden one physical copy is sent to every public library in the country even). Besides, the core of the content is published as articles elsewhere. To allow it, when publishing, you always add that exception clause in the copyright transfer.

In Australia, your thesis is not considered a 'publication' unless you actually sign a document that allows for it to be so, and this is usually as an ebook. Your physical copies are sent to the library and school library, but they are not considered publications nor are counted as such for ERA requirements. So, students who do publish journal articles during the course of their PhD are encouraged to reincorporate that material into their thesis (if it's relevant/based on the thesis). But this is the practice here, which of course as you have suggested, may not be the same elsewhere.

An update on what I ended up doing: it turns out that most publishers will allow you to publish your own papers in your PhD thesis in full without any issue - I included all my papers, in their full published format and also in edited form in the Chapters, and this was covered by the copyright usage on the publisher websites.

The purpose of a thesis/dissertation: showcase the work you have done.
It need not include substantial, new, unpublished work.

Organize your papers to tell the story of your graduate experience (one paper per chapter).

Add appropriate transition material.

Write an Introduction & Conclusion chapter.

Talk to your advisor.

Consider the following chapter-opening paragraph:

The following text in this chapter is my first publication [1] (Journal of Computation) which describes the method I developed for ...
Insert Title, Abstract, & Text of your 1st publication

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How to pronounce 'et al' in presentation speech?
For giving a research presentation, I will need to refer to papers with multiple authors. When citing in the slides, I use the convention (as does everyone else) of 'et al.' How should I pronounce this when speaking during the presentation? I don't speak French fluently, but I know that the French pronunciation is 'ai-taal'. I am not sure how this would be pronounced in the English speaking world. What is the conventional pronunciation of 'et al.' in presentations for English speakers/researchers?

I've heard it pronounced to rhyme with "bet ball" or "bet pal".  I believe it's from Latin anyway, not French, so the French pronunciation isn't relevant.  You can also simply say "and others", "and coauthors", "and collaborators", etc.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/et_al.

In the U.S., the "bet pal" rhyming pattern sounds more correct to me. But for spoken language I'd probably go with "and coauthors". For a highly informal talk in front of a young, hip audience, you might consider other possibilities like "and the other dudes" (at least in case all coauthors are male).

If you're going to speak Latin, at least use the correct Latin words: et alii/aliorum/alios/aliis, depending on case; or et aliae/aliarum/alias/aliis, respectively, if all the others are female; or et alia/aliorum/aliis/alia/alii, respectively, if all the others are robots.  If you don't know which of those Latin words is correct, stick with "and coauthors".

Also, it is not from French but from Latin: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/et_al.#Etymology_1

@JeffE Good of you to include robots, in case I ever need to give a talk about a SciGenned paper. But, given that people often say "e.g." ("ee-gee"), there's a precedent for pronouncing unexpanded abbreviated Latin and I don't see why that can't be applied to "et al."

@DanRomik: One needs to add that "pal" is pronounced like "al (Bundy)", at least for Germans this is relevant, as the pronounciation as "carl" (silent r) is more common (PayPal adds to this by pronouncing it "PayParl" in commercials).

@phresnel speaking of pals and als, this would be another nice way to explain the pronunciation.

consider writing "First Author et al." but saying something like "From the group/lab of Jack McFamousperson" which might give valuable perspective on the cited work (for an audience familiar with the field)

@DavidRicherby (shudder) Ugh.  Just say "for example" (and "that is", "and so on", and so on).  I don't even let my students write "e.g.", "i.e.", or "etc."

@JeffE those abbreviations are correct English, may I ask why don't you let your students write them? And what do you expect them to write instead of etc.? (And what about "ugh", are they allowed to write that?)

@DanRomik 'and so on'.

@DavidRicherby: ".But, given that people often say "e.g." ("ee-gee"), there's a precedent for pronouncing unexpanded abbreviated Latin" - that precedent is a bit of a special case because e.g. can be retconned into abbreviating English words, unlike (?) et al., as far as I am aware. And even if you reject that retcon, a case can be made that pronouncing single letters like in English is different from pronouncing whole or partial words from another language like in English.

@O.R.Mapper In standard usage, "e.g." doesn't abbreviate English words, so any argument based on the premise that it does or can is, at best, tenuous. And what about "i.e." and "N.B."?

The standard English pronunciation can be found in a dictionary, see, e.g., et al. at MacMillan dictionary.
However, during a presentation, instead of reading that abbreviation, it is probably nicer to say something like: "Smith and his/her group/coauthors/colleagues published the paper [...]".

I tend to prefer "and coworkers", rolls off the tongue better. The usage "and his/her group" should be used with some care, as often the usage denotes that Smith is the PI, which may not be the case. (Indeed, in many fields the PI goes last, so a collaboration that publishes under Smith et al. is unlikely to be referred to as "the Smith group" in such fields.) I know you know - just some pitfalls for the OP & future visitors to be aware of.

+1 People read "i.e." as "that is" and "e.g." as "for example" (instead of reading out the letters or saying "id est" or "exempli gratia"), and I don't think "et al." should be treated any differently.

That MacMillan is a British pronunciation.  If the rest of your presentation is given with a British accent, go ahead and use it.

I find this quite inappropriate. In many disciplines the authors are ordered alphabetically. By speculating that it is "Smith and their group" you imply that Smith is the main author, which is sometimes factually incorrect.

@Dilworth In fact, I gave different options (coauthors, colleagues etc.) exactly for that reason: "Smith and his/her coauthors/colleagues/coworkers" does not imply any main author, and if the audience is composed of mathematicians they can certainly understand it the right way. If you have a better suggestion, please post it.

My suggestion is "Smith and all". Saying "and co-authors\colleagues" still insinuates a slight impression that Smith is the "main" author.

I often just say "and others", "and friends", or just "Foo" for "Foo, et al.". People can see on the screen that there are others and refer to your references to see who those others are. No one is misled or confused if you drop the others in what you say aloud.

Not at all tongue-in-cheek, but this Foo chap gets a lot of papers out -- has anyone ever considered a special recognition award? ;)

@StuartGolodetz The award usually goes to Ibid.

There's always someone better :)

@MiloPrice I dunno. That guy Al does write a lot of papers. Always as second author, too, which is kinda weird.

@DavidRicherby: Indeed. Ibid has an infinite average citation count and perhaps a higher overall impact than al, having written no papers at all but is massively cited. But they're both right up there.

So I guess Foo can't meet that high Bar.

@DavidRicherby Misread "al" as "a.i.", your comment still applies.

Another solution, if there aren't that many authors, is simply to say all names out loud when presenting. In my field, where papers with more than 5 or so authors are uncommon, sometimes we would use "et al." to avoid having to fit more than one or two names on the slide, but the simplest is to say all names out loud when presenting. (And afterwards you can just say "they".)
Of course, this requires sufficient familiarity with the work to know off the top of your head the name of all these authors.

The problem with "et al." is that, unlike "etc.," it changes depending on the gender of the other authors, which is not always easily apparent. There are actually three different forms (masculine, feminine, and gender neutral) meaning "and others" and an additional completely separate phrase also abbreviated "et al." that means "and elsewhere." One would argue you could just say the gender-neutral "et alia," but that is usually only supposed to refer to things without gender, not things with an unknown gender. Because of these complications and, as is often the case, an ignorance of the gender of the other people involved in the report, I would just pronounce it, "ett ahl."

I don't get it: al. is a shortening, be it of aliī, aliae or even a single person (although that would be silly).

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Is it okay to apply for PhD at a German university without prior contact with a potential supervisor?
I have an MSc degree in natural science and I am currently looking for a PhD position. I saw an advertisement on a researcher community site that an institute at a German university is hiring PhD candidates, where research I am interested in is conducted. I have heard that, at German universities, it is strongly encouraged to contact a potential supervisor before the application, although there could be some exceptional cases. So first, I mailed to the institute director to know whether the professor I want to study with is hiring through this advert.
The director said yes, so I directly sent a mail to the potential supervisor with my CV and my motivation for PhD (about a half page, not a motivation letter, just to show my inclination). I asked if he had any interest in my idea and if he had any kind of comment for me if possible. However, he didn't send any kind of answer to me even after two weeks, so I resent the mail as a reminder. He still didn't answer after another two weeks. I tried to contact him relatively close to the deadline, so I applied without trying any further contact with the potential supervisor. The application was made by sending an email to the institute. Now I would like to know if I have any chance of acceptance. So here are my questions:

Is it okay to apply for a PhD at a German university, even if I could not have any contact with a potential supervisor? I have already contacted some professors at other German universities. In most cases, they sent me an answer, even if they do not have any position, so I am a bit worried if the potential supervisor has even glimpsed my mail.

Plus, if the professor read my email but didn't reply, could this be a negative sign, i.e., the potential supervisor didn't like my idea so didn't reply to me back? I know that in some US universities, it is prohibited that the professor responds to students' mail before admission to establish fairness. But I have no idea whether this might be the same for some German universities.

As it is the first time for me to apply only through emails, I am wondering how the process is handled. How many weeks should I wait to know if I have a chance for an interview in general, especially for this kind of application process? I have no idea when they announce the result. Or may I ask the office at the institute directly? They would surely have many applications and be busy, so I don't want to irritate them if possible.

See the answer for Germany to this question: https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/176908/75368

@Buffy thank you for giving me a good reference. But it seems to be not enough to answer my questions in detail. So does it mean that a prior contact with a professor could not be mandatory? As the application was through the institute at the university,(not an institute like MPI but an institute under the university) so I guess it might be different from directly applying to the potential supervisor.

The way you handled your application seems appropriate. If there is a position advertised, there is usually a contact given at the end of the advert. Then apply there. If you have applied this way, there is usually no need to ask further. Either you get positive feedback after a while, or negative feedback, or no feedback (which is also negative). It is hard to predict when you can expect a response. But be surprised if you hear back later than one month after the deadline.
Otherwise you can always e-mail potential supervisors asking if they have a position now or in the near future. If you e-mail a professor and get no reply, also after bringing yourself back into memory by a reasonable reminder after let's say two weeks, you can suspect that there probably will be no positive response in the future. It would be better to focus on other opportunities in this case.
Professors are always allowed to answer your e-mails. But if there is an official application process going on, they will be careful not to promise anything (and some definitely prefer to be silent) because otherwise a lawsuit might follow if you did not get the position eventually.

Thank you for your kind answer. So it seems that for now I have to do nothing but only waiting for the contact from the institute.


text:
Politely suggesting to the editor that they should invite more reviewers
Elsevier provides a tracking system through which authors can see how many reviewers have been invited, how many have accepted to review the paper, and how many have completed the review. If more than two reviewers accept to review the paper or turn in their reports, it indicates the number of reviewers as 2+.
Editors might do their due diligence and invite more than two reviewers, i.e. 2+. A reviewer might accept to review, while after another 3 weeks to one month, the others might either have declined or not reacted to the email. In this case, the editor might have thought that after inviting three reviewers, for instance, it's time to wait for the completion of the review process. The problem now is that when the reviewer who accepts turns in their report, probably after 6–8 weeks from the date they accept to review, the editor might then realize that only one reviewer has accepted to review and then initiate another review process, inviting a minimum of one reviewer. Thus, the review process is done sequentially rather than in parallel, which elongates the review time.
Is it advisable to softly inform the editor after 3 weeks (if only 1 reviewer accepts to review) to invite more reviewers? How would one go about doing this politely?

Are you an author of the editor-in-chief?

No but you know sometimes there are outliers in editorial handling especially when Editors are out of office or seldom visit their editorial portals which could have far reaching implications on authors too due to the prolonged delays

Are the 3 weeks in discussion the weeks across major holidays?across teaching semesters? around New Year's eve or Chinese New Year or Eid-al-Fitr?

Yes they are. But to provide further context paper was submitted 18th Nov. EiC passed to AE 26th Nov, AE sent for review 18 Dec.

What if the status remained the same. Editor invited more reviewers 23 Jan but only one accepted to review still. I am adding this to know if the passage of time might influence such request. Then I tend to ask what is the benefit of having the tracking link asides knowing I need to keep watching

I don't think it is advisable at all. First, to "inform" the editor that they should invite more reviewers, rather than, say, "asking" them if they might consider seeking additional reviewers is certain to appear downright rude.
More importantly however, you are not the editor and it is not possible for you direct how an editor does their job. They'll do it however they want!
Also, you are ignorant (as we all are) of what goes on at the editorial desk. At the very best, you might have some information about the typical time for an editorial decision to be made, but it is highly unlikely that you know anything about how the editor will make their decision. Sure, it might be usual to invite one, two, three, four reviewers ... but do you know what processes the journal already has in place for dealing with reviewers who don't respond?
For example, there might be a fully automated process of which you have no knowledge, that sends out reminders to reviewers after a fixed time, and some time after that triggers a notification to the editor. Alternatively, the editorial procedure might simply be that the editor makes their own decision based on however many review reports they have managed to garner in the time allowed for consideration of your paper.
Just wait. If, after your paper has been with the journal for a time that exceeds, say, their 75th percentile decision time, contact the editor and ask if they can give you an update on the review process. And then make a decision about whether to leave the paper with that journal, or withdraw and submit elsewhere.

Thanks for the response. I appreciate the details here

Would it be considered impolite to suggest some people to the editor as potential reviewers?

@Bergi yes. Don't do it unsolicited. If the editor writes to you (the authors) saying they're having trouble finding reviewers, then you can reply with "perhaps consider XYZ".

What it boils down to is how to operate in a bureaucracy: you make polite suggestions to anybody other than your own minions (and you be careful with them, lest they push you under a bus).

No, it is not advisable to do that. People generally don't appreciate others telling them how to do their job (with exceptions for trainers, supervisors, mentors, people that where asked for help, etc).

Thanks for the response. This is quite concise.

Your article was sent for review December 18th, as people were heading off for the holiday break, or already gone. It is now January 6th, most of the US only got back to work sometime the end of this week. Most Europeans won't be back until Monday the 8th. Those who are back are likely scrambling to get their course prep out of the way first.
Moral of the story. Don't submit during the holiday season if you want a fast turnaround.

A lot of editors have many different submissions that they are editing, and editing is usually just a part of an otherwise busy academic schedule. They may not frequently look at editng tasks.  I think a reminder, in the form of a request, or even in the form of an enquiry, is not out of order.
I edit a fair bit, and do not mind such enquiries.


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Can I modify my name on my Scopus profile page?
I have recently legally changed my name and about to publish my paper in that new name. However I was wondering is there anyway to change my name on my scopus profile?
Thanks

@user3209815 I disagree: Scopus is widely used in academia.  Whether this website feature is sufficiently on-topic is somewhat questionable, per this meta question, but it is a simple question and I would be comfortable leaving it open for a little bit to see if anybody has a simple answer.

Unfortunately I know my university uses scopus rankings for promotions. Their website say nothing and I was wondering if anyone had experience.

You can simply publish your paper with your new name on it. It will appear in Scopus within your new author profile (with a newly created Scopus Author ID). Finaly, you can send a request to merge authors to Scopus (http://www.scopus.com/feedback/author/home.uri#/). All your Scopus records (with the former and new name) will be collected in a unique author profile. When merging profiles, you should set your newly created profile (with your new name) as preferred.


text:
Potential PhD supervisor expressed interest, then didn't follow up about meeting. Should I continue with admissions process or move on?
After a Skype conversation and several correspondences with an Irish professor, the professor wrote that he will take me as PhD student.
Although we had agreed on which project to work on and we planned to discuss about research questions, we have yet to discuss about research questions and proposal. As I feel that he was really busy, I wrote him research questions to ask for his comment without having any prior discussion and mentioned that I need to make a decision if I am going to his University end of this month. Following that, he mentioned that I can put in Online application, will direct HR to advise me on Visa application, and maybe we would have another Skype conversation last Friday. In the email, he also sent me two papers and mentioned one research area of particular interest to be included as research questions.
However, the research area is really very new to me and so I told him in the last correspondence and ask him about time to have Skype conversation last Friday. I didn't hear from him since.
I really interested to go to his university. Now, Should I put in online application first or I should forget about this opportunity and move on?

Don't panic.  The fact that you haven't heard back from him shouldn't be interpreted as a sign that he has lost interest in working with you.  It's summer, and academics often take vacations or travel to conferences in the summer.  It often happens that they take much longer to reply to emails.
Go ahead with anything that you already know you have to do, such as submitting the online application.  It doesn't sound like any urgent action is needed from the professor - you just want to chat with him about research when he has time - so just wait for him to respond.  If you don't hear anything within another week, send another email.

Thank you for your comment. I am wondering if he has lost interest because I expressed the research area is really very new to me and he wanted to catch up but then went quite.

@user38020: That's unlikely, unless he's a huge jerk. You are far enough along that if he had changed his mind about working with you, he should say so directly.

Hi,  Nate Eldredge, I proceed with Online application but then realised that I cannot complete the application without research proposal. It was planned to discuss about research questions (and hence research proposal) last Friday but I didn't get to discuss with the Prof at the end.

Last Friday is not too far away from today and you haven't done anything to clarify the situation to throw the white flag. Persistence is IMHO one of the most valuable traits for a researcher, if not the most.
You professor simply might have been busy, out of the office or out of town or similar. I suggest you to make at least several attempts to contact him, preferably using different channels. Even better, before bombarding him with phone calls or e-mail messages, simply contact the secretary at his department and inquire about his work schedule. Hope this helps. Good luck!

@user38020: My pleasure.

While I know several people, some on this site, who rejected an offer after having accepted it. I'm not aware of any professor who rejected a student after having agreed to take him/her for PhD. So I guess it still happens, but very very rare.
Since that professor already agreed to take you as student. Unless, you do something really really crazy, there is nothing to worry about.
One week is nothing, there was a lecturer in my old group, who often replied my emails after one month. Luckily he was not my PhD advisor.

Thanks. I hope I can get the offer. If a potential supervisor replied emails after every one or two months, is it a sight that I should look for other supervisor?

@user38020 As Nate've said, it's summer now, so even 1 month is not very uncommon. What I mean is professors often keep their words. However, having a plan B is always good, and maybe you can get offer from a better school :)


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Is it possible to pursue masters degree in the US university without getting financial back-up from family?
I am a undergraduate student majoring in Human resource management and planning to get admitted in such a university where I have great opportunity to do research.
Is it possible to pursue masters degree from US university without taking financial help from family?
In what extent does US university provide financial aid for MS students?
What are the benefits of getting TA or RA facility in US university?

Universities, and departments, often view Masters degree students as something of a cash-cow, so there are far less funding options than are available to PhD students. That being said, there are a number of options you have before turning to family:

There may be a limited number of TA/RAships available to Masters students. The benefits will depend on the university, but will likely include a modest salary, and will possibly include benefits like health insurance or tuition remission.
You can work your way through it, viewing tuition as just a major life expense. This of course depends on the local job market.
You can take on debt. Many people I know took out student loans in order to pay for their Masters. Whether or not this is desirable and economically justified is another question, but it is always an option.

In general in the US, masters degrees which are not on a PhD track are not funded. That is there are not really opportunities to work as an RA or TA. As master's programs tend to be more professionally oriented, the expectation is that the student will take out student loans. In contrast, in PhD programs, the student does work for their professor, and therefore receives funding.
My understanding (and this may be more true of the sciences than other fields) is that PhD students are strongly preferred for TA and RA positions. Both TA and RA positions build useful experience for PhD students by giving the PhD student experience with teaching and academic research.
As to the more general question of funding for masters programs, I would guess that you will probably have the most luck looking for opportunities specific to your situation (e.g. field of study), however in general masters students are expected to pay their own way.

Additionally, the availability of TA and RA positions, and funding in general, will depend on the specific university and department. Be careful when researching schools to determine if funding opportunities will be available for your particular path.

I'd like to add that programs that either: 1) do not have many PhD students or 2) do not have a PhD program but offer classes that need TAs are likely to hire MS students. This was the case at my master's institution (in geology), where I was fully funded.

It is possible to pursue a masters degree at a US university without getting financial back-up from family:
You can get a grant or scholarship to cover your expenses. I've heard about some people who did that. You fill the forms, add documents and send it to the funding agency which provides grants and scholarships. If the agency thinks that you are worthy, it will award you a grant or scholarship. I just gave you a hint, Google knows more about it (:

This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post - you can always comment on your own posts, and once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post.

@scaaahu I've answered first part of his question and told what he should do

Typically I'm used to seeing answers be voted on to be considered the most useful answer; the implication is that they are complete, and so answer all questions.

Could you answer more specifically @Schullz

@ShamirulIslam added some details. What details do you want to be added?

It's true that such grants and scholarships exist, but they are pretty rare.  Anyone pursuing this option should definitely have a backup plan.

authors: محسن عبادنژاد


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What is the difference between MBA and Masters in a business subject, and which is better for a future researcher?
What is the difference between MBA and Masters in a specific subject of Business studies like, master in Management?
What will be a better option for one if he intends to be a researcher in future?
And does MBA degree specialize a specific subject of business studies?

An MBA is a professional degree designed for students who will go to work in industry and not pursue further graduate study or research.  Students in MBA programs typically all take the same courses in lock step with very few electives or options.  It generally isn't possible to specialize in a particular area in an MBA program.  In that sense, an MBA program is very much like medical school or law school and totally unlike graduate study in engineering and the arts and sciences.   Students in MBA programs usually have several years of full time experience working in low level corporate jobs after completing a bachelors degree.  Because they have had some exposure to the corporate/business world, the courses that they take draw on that experience.
In comparison, the Master's in Management is a professionally oriented degree program aimed primarily at students who have just completed a bachelor's degree.  These programs tend to be more theoretical simply because students have less practical experience to draw on.  Many business schools also offer professionally oriented masters degrees in more specialized technical areas (e.g. a Master's degree in mathematical finance or operations research or analytics.)
PhD programs in business schools are typically very separate from MBA programs and the students in the PhD program will typically take very few if any courses with the MBA students.  PhD students take more theoretical course work, take advanced courses in an area of specialization (e.g. accounting, finance, marketing, etc.) take course work in research methods, and then conduct research and write a dissertation.
If you're just completing a bachelor's degree and want to get a masters and go to work in industry, than a Masters in Management is the typical path.  If you're just completing a bachelor's degree and want to become a business school professor then a PhD program would be appropriate.  If you've had several years of experience in business and want to move up in management, then an MBA would be the typical path for you.

At first, Thank you MR Bochers for your fine suggestion.I want to be a professor of business school in future.I am going to complete my bachelor's degree in Human resource management soon.So what should I do-masters and after that PhD,or is there available opportunity to enroll in PhD directly just after completing Bachelor degree?

In the US system a student with your goals would typically try to go straight into a PhD program in Management.

@ Brian Borchers But for international students in USA, will it be easier to go straight into Ph.D program after completing Bachelor program? To make the resume strong and get experience, is it wise to complete a Master's program first?

@GoodboY for most foreign students the issue will be lack of financial support for graduate students in MS and MBA programs in business schools.  Since graduates of these programs can command high salaries in industry, the expectation is that they'll be able to pay for their education, typically by taking out loans.  There are some research and teaching assistantships avaialble to PhD students in business, although not as many as you would find in the sciences and engineering.

@ Brian Borchers: So, in this case would it be wise for international students to complete thesis based MS from home or foreign country and apply for Ph.D candidacy then in US?

In addition to the nice answer by @BrianBorchers (+1), I would like to clarify several aspects that you are interested in (stated in your question), but he hasn't touched upon (if I haven't missed it).
Firstly, I would say that the biggest difference between MBA and master's degree in a business subject is that the former is a general degree, whereas the latter implies some specialization or, at least, focus. Considering this aspect, one could expect that typically an MBA graduate is potentially a more well-rounded business professional than a graduate with a specialized master's degree.
Secondly, I would say that, if you are not absolutely certain about what area of research you want to specialize in, the optimal approach would be to go the MBA route. That would allow you to be exposed to a wider variety of disciplines and areas of study, thus, increasing your chances to find areas of research that best fit your interests, goals and/or personality. An additional positive side effect of this approach is that, should, for some reasons, you decide later to pivot (temporarily or otherwise) and work in a managerial role, you would, in my opinion, have better career options and flexibility being an MBA graduate rather than one with a specialized master's degree.
Thirdly, in regard to MBA specialization, there are indeed many different specialized MBA full programs (or specializations within a general program, also referred to as tracks), in addition to standard general MBA programs. For example, consider this list of MBA specializations at NYU Stern School of Business.
Finally, I agree with Brian Borchers in that you should target enrolling in a Ph.D. program, if you want to become a researcher in business-related areas of study. Such programs are typically offered through universities' business schools (for example, see this program by Stanford GSB).
Some schools also offer a relatively similar degree of Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). Personally, I am not a big fan of this route, since not only the abbreviation can lead to you being confused with a database administrator :-), but, on a more serious note, Ph.D. programs are often more rigorous and, thus, more respectable and valuable than similar DBA programs (though, it depends on institution, as some top universities also offer DBA degrees - in any way, DBA is typically a more applied degree than Ph.D.). In addition to standard DBA programs, there are also specialized DBA programs, like this one, as well as executive DBA programs, like this one.
You might also find useful to read my answer to a related (MBA vs. Master of Science) question.


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What should I do if I am having a very hard time with a course and the professor teaching it, but he is the only one who ever teaches this course?
I am into my second semester as a part-time graduate student in Information Science. I work full-time as a web developer, so juggling work and school is hard but manageable. My first semester I found to be okay, and I had a 4.0 at the end. I take 2 classes at a time, as that is all I can take on with a job right now. However my second semester is halfway through now, and one of my classes is fine, but the other is very difficult.
The difficult class is a computer security class. On rate my professor, I saw before the semester that he had bad ratings (1.0 across the board and rated for hard tests). I wanted to avoid him, but he is the only professor who teaches security courses at my school. So I tried it, and within the first weeks of class, he cancelled two lectures in a row! He wanted us to study the material on our own, which for me is difficult as I typically learn better with a teacher in front of me.
As the semester went on, I found the material getting so hard that I couldn't even understand most of what he was talking about. He reads off of a powerpoint slide and doesn't explain further. He is the kind of professor that doesn't answer emails and pushes any questions off to the TA. So I have to email the TA for help, but the TA only offers help 2 hours a week (and they are when I am at work!).
I have a C+ so far in the class, which to me is very bad. Are computer security classes typically harder? What should I do with this class? I am afraid to withdraw because I will just have to retake it with the same guy, plus my job is paying for these classes and might have an issue with it. Does anyone have grad school advice in general with what I've said?

That depends too much on your particular case to be able to give an answer. I'd hazard dropping the other class and concentrating on the hard one; or dropping the hard one, but continue attending and collecting material for self-study, and take it again later (perhaps on its own).

I assume the course is required for your degree, or you would just withdraw... right?

I would suggest you ask a couple of focused questions instead of a single narrative. Right now I see questions about working full time and being a part time student, a bad professor, canceled classes, unavailable TAs, computer security classes, ... Way to much for me to consider tackling in an answer.

You can:

Ask around and try to find someone who has done well (or is doing well) in the course, who you might be able to hire as a tutor.
Form a study group with other students in the class.
Look for recorded lectures on YouTube from another professor at another university covering the same material.
Buy a copy of the textbook. Study it. Ask good questions about things you don't understand, e.g. on Computer Science Stack Exchange or Information Security Stack Exchage.
Drop the class, do some self-study, and then take it again later after you're more comfortable with the material (as suggested by vonbrand).

You haven't said how much time you have to study outside of work and lectures, but it may not be enough. You can't expect to grasp all the material you need for your graduate coursework just from sitting in class for a few hours - real learning requires time, and independent work.

In addition, if retaking the class maybe do only one course that semester, freeing up more time for study.


text:
New faculty. Already lagging on responsibilities bad. Any advice on coming back?
I'm a fourth year doctoral candidate who is ABD right now and recently got a full time position at a small liberal arts college (SLAC). So far, I'm not off to a great start. I showed up to orientation 20 minutes late in mid August (without giving a prior heads up) and showed up to that event and the regular faculty welcome back fatigued. Even after I moved into my new apartment, it took me well over a week (second week of the semester) to combat my low energy to an extent. At the time, I hadn't moved back to the area at all and had to drive 4.5 hours to it before staying at motels each weekend. Today, I also showed up to the regular newbie faculty meeting 2 minutes late since I first arrived at the wrong location (they changed spots). I should note that I was the only one late to all of those events. Sadly, I'm still going to bed extremely exhausted and waking up exhausted even after I do as little as go to teach for the day. Thus, even though faculty are attending all of these "extra events" at folks' houses and other places via event invites sent out via group chat or email, I've been so exhausted and fatigued that I do not go out to those events.
Throughout the welcome back days and faculty gatherings, they are all extremely lively and bubbly while I never was at all. I have severe social anxiety, so initiating conversations is already difficult. When I'm in group settings though, I'm barely talking or saying anything. When people meet with me one on one or become friends with me, they're often surprised when I tell them I have social anxiety since I've taught courses as a GA and an adjunct instructor prior to my employment at this SLAC (for those wondering, I haven't made friends at this SLAC so no one knows yet).
I've missed emails and not replied to them for upwards of a week (before I'm reminded) among other missed things. Notable one is Starfish and reporting attendance, which I didn't bother to figure out yet. Similarly, I'm also somewhat behind on grading since I have to grade some Nearpod assignments in my Intro sections I'm teaching right now.
For what it's worth, other faculty did notice at gatherings I wouldn't talk and they'd come up to me and ask how I was doing. Super nice of them to do and it's something I try to reciprocate. But, it's tough regardless.
I know something is up with me mentally for sure but I'm also concerned if it's something more than my current neurodivergent conditions. Those conditions (autism, ADHD-I) explain why I've missed so much, but the low energy is a massive struggle.
I'm currently looking for advice on how to comeback from my situation right now (if anything). My department hasn't exactly seen my tendency to be late in action other than one instance where I showed up 3 minutes later to a full faculty meeting (although I'm sure they didn't notice).
ETA: I also teach back-to-back-to-back classes that are 1 hr 20 minutes each. No doubt contributes to the fatigue.
Others have also considered me a "wallflower" who doesn't engage much with others in group settings. When I see everyone is talking a ton, I truly feel like the biggest imposter in the room.
Also, I'm non tenure track for a year in case that's relevant.

Not-a-psychologist... and maybe you need one... but being 3 minutes late is well within cultural norms in the U.S. Don't worry. No action required, except to somehow calm down and engage at least a little with your new colleagues, if only "formally". That is, say hello, and smile, in the hallway, rather than keeping your head down. You're not expected to be a social butterfly.

Quick question that might be relevant here: What kind of physical shape are you in?  Are you overweight?  Any physical impairments?

@Ben I'm 5 foot 9 inches and weight low 150s right now so I don't have any weight issues right now. I was underweight a year ago though and have had to eat more than 2000 calories to gain weight and maintain my current weight. I can also hear my spine pop sometimes too. What is odd is that I got bloodwork done and there wasn't anything noticeable other than low HDL. I didn't get my vitamin levels assessed though so that may be a variable.

None of that sounds like a big physical problem.  (Didn't intend for you to have to give so much detail, but thanks anyway.)  I just ask because issues with fatigue, tiredness, etc., can be caused or exacerbated by bad physical health.  As a general rule, when you're having a hard time emotionally/mentally, it is useful to try to get into the best possible physical shape you can, so that you are physically strong and fit to deal with the other problems (and not make them worse).

After you've had the physical stuff looked at, it's definitely time to check in with a mental health professional. Fatigue is a common symptom of depression, so at the very least, getting that ruled out or treated would be immensely valuable. A therapist can also help with insecurity and provide a non-judgemental venue for you to be as awkward as you need to be while figuring out how you want to interact with people.

Vitamin levels might be a thing for sure, especially after lockdowns/not going outside much. If you haven't had a checkup in a few years, it might be a good time to get one. I'm living up north, and had vitamin D levels at about third of the acceptable minimum at some point in time. Several of my friends had it well below that still. The rest of the bloodwork looked fine as well for most of us, it's just those pesky micronutrients.

It's also worth reaching out to a mentor on the faculty. Some assign you one but if they haven't, I'd reach out to the chair and ask for one. Just say the transition has been a bit of a struggle and you'd love someone to bounce ideas off of. They should be able to recommend another new faculty member who recently made the transition successfully and can suggest tips (e.g. what you can safely de-prioritize and what you MUST do).

The comment about feeling like "the biggest imposter in the room" suggests you might want to read up on imposter syndrome. This way of feeling is normal and there are concrete ways to combat it: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11765, https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/41067

I'm really not seeing a problem here.

Being 2-3 minutes late to a meeting is seriously unlikely to be an issue. In fact, it is (unfortunately) the norm in many places.
Being fatigued is pretty normal for early-career researchers. If others have noticed at all, it probably brings back memories of times when they were grinding and were fatigued.
Having poor social skills is not so unusual among brilliant researchers. It is important that you do some networking and improve your social skills, but I doubt you are so far outside the norm that you have already gotten a bad reputation.
Missing e-mails and being behind on grading are also (unfortunately) the norm in many places. Without knowing the details of your position, I doubt that such things are make-or-break in themselves, though you do risk annoying the wrong person or making more work for yourself.

My advice is to: (1) get some sleep, maybe a few days off, (2) prioritize what's important (probably research), what's less important but has to get done (grading), and what's unimportant (most other things), and (3) Have confidence that this is a long-term position and you have decades to get a good reputation and build relationships. So long as the line's slope is positive, it's likely to cross the horizontal at some point.

All of this is good insight. In case you're wondering, I'm non tenure track and my contract is for this year 2023-2024. I don't know if that changes your answer but thought I'd mention.

Thanks for the info. I wrote my answer from the perspective of a permanent but non-tenure-track position. I seriously doubt my answer would change now that I know you're talking about a 1-year contract position, but I admit I'm not as familiar with such positions.

I was told at today's meeting that this SLAC does prefer re-hiring internally. They also said that those who have non tenure track will need to "make the case" to have their contracts renewed by the end of the academic year. The department told me that they are looking to convert my position to a tenure track one "down the road," but they didn't say how soon.

"2) prioritize what's important (probably research), what's less important but has to get done (grading)," <--- it's a teaching position in a liberal arts college. I'm not in the US system, nor have I ever been, but my impression is that these should probably be swapped.

@DavidRoberts, depends. If OP is ABD and the research is for the dissertation that's necessary for a permanent position, then might keep a grading speed that is just fast enough not to annoy your students. Student expectations for grading definitely matter with regard to evaluations and those will be weighed far more heavily than at an R1 but sometimes they may not actually care much. When I TA'd we'd usually have a solid week before they'd even ask after an exam if they weren't freshman used to scantrons. (Also, a lot of ranked PUIs still weight teaching and research 50-50.)

@GenesRus oh, I was assuming the OP was more in the writing phase, not actively working on the research that will go into the thesis (or working on further research, post-PhD work). Maybe I don't know what ABD really implies (I do know what the acronym stands for!)

I do expect it's done within "X amount of time" so it shouldn't be anything that requires great amount of discovery that might not pan out. But I had someone say I was ABD after I still had a six months to a year left of work to do, plus the actual writing

Ah, if it's only a one-year (=temporary) position, you will want people there to give you glowing letters-of-recommendation for your next job.
So, yeah, you need to "make a good impression".
My suggestion is to not think of professional interactions (especially with students) as sincere expressions of your personality, but as expressions of the "professional persona" you would like to have. Infinite patience, and all that. :)
One can do the same with faculty colleagues! Try to imagine the persona you want, etc., and just play the part. I know, easier said than done, but, still, playing a desired part is easier than "really being" that person.
Seriously: I myself am, by nature, very impatient and so on, but in my teaching and other roles, I tell myself to "pretend to be" infinitely patient... Stressful in some ways, but worth it, I think. :)

I can give that a shot. I should note that acting in general is super difficult for me because others know when my behavior is forced. Peer feedback has indicated that others prefer when I'm candid so I'm a bit hesitant but I'm open to trying.

Gotta be a better actor, then! :)

@zzmondo1 the type of acting this answer talks about isn't so much forced behavior. Don't "lie", that doesn't work out well. Rather, you know how on some days we are super patient and on other days blow up easily? Look inside yourself for how you naturally behave on good days and then behave like that all the time (always try at least). That way, you're not lying, you're just making an effort to show your best side - but it is already one of your sides.

@DonQuiKong I see. That makes sense. That's still making me insecure though since my "best behavior" is something I've been either told or heard from others when they thought I was out of earshot is "awkward." It'd be one thing if I could identify whether folks were doing so in not-so-good faith but that's been a consistent theme even when I'm most confident.

"Gotta be a better actor, then! :)" <--- erm, isn't this a bit like "just get over your social anxiety and act normal"?

@DavidRoberts, that's not what I intended, at all, but I understand it would be taken that way. My attempted point, which surely may not apply to everyone, is to "visualize" the person you'd want to be/emulate, and try to play that role, at least for necessary periods of time. I'm not really very social, either, but at least by this point in my life I can pretend, for an hour or two at a time. :)

@paul thanks for clarifying :-)

I agree with many of the points by cag51, but I do want to address your comments about being neurodivergent (autism + ADHD).
You’re displaying some of the common symptoms of autistic burnout, so I strongly urge you to begin counseling with a professional in your area (virtual if that’s easier for you!). My wife is autistic (also a scientist at a private research lab) and all the meetings/interactions/socializing can really wear her down to the point of autistic burnout. Her work quality starts to deteriorate and her emotional/mental well-being quickly plummets. There are ways to work through it, but often the answer is exactly what cag51 proposed: give yourself a break.
You’re going through a lot of changes and you know that socializing in high-doses is physically and mentally challenging for you. Work on building a routine that you can follow daily. I have ADHD as well, I’m aware of how difficult this is. But you’re someone with autism as well who strongly benefits from routine. Again, working with a professional you could have someone help you stay accountable and build a system to meet your new responsibilities.
Finally, you could also consider seeing if there are any reasonable accommodations (if in US qualifying under ADA)that might help you moving forward—e.g. not teaching back to back, quiet office space, etc. As for making friends in your new environment, consider meeting with one or two colleagues over lunch or on a walk, socializing where neurotypical folks don’t usually notice you have difficult with small talk or eye contact (for example).

I have a DSW who I see currently and he is also autistic. He's helped me with reframing a lot of things and making sure I communicate in such a way that my workplace can accommodate me accordingly. My SLAC is currently reviewing an accommodation request form I sent them and they will talk to me at some point about making reasonable accommodations for me.


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I feel left out from the group
My supervisor had a surgery. She notified the other doctorate student other than me and the other members of the group. I have no information. No one in the group said this to me. I feel like an idiot and can't understand why she didn't tell me. I don't know, what should i do?
edit: Thank you very much for your answers. I can think better now. I'm the only foreign student in the group, a small group. When I first arrived, I saw discriminatory attitudes from the head of the group (I was not invited to group meetings but there were all other students). But my supervisor always treated me well, we did not have a problem but when she did not inform me, I was very sorry, she informed the others by phone.

Your question has two parts. First, if you were excluded or not. Second, how you should manage your work relationship and career when being excluded. For starters, I want to question the first part. How did other students find out about it? Was it an email, from which you were excluded? Does she seem to be more friendly with other students than you? Do other members speak your supervisor's native language (if it is not the official language of the country) and you don't?

It's completely normal and rational to be worry about our be sensitive about such things. It was likely an accident and unintentional. It is helpful to assume the best intentions generally in professional relationships. Realize that she is very busy and stressed and can sometimes forget things or make oversights. Once I realized to do that, it helped me immensely as I am a very sensitive person, and this would have hurt me in the past more than it would now (not trying to make presumptions about you though).

She had surgery. Her attention was elsewhere. This may be a simple omission. Have you been left out in any other case earlier? I would not judge from a single event.

Maybe she didn't have your number, maybe she did but the phone was engaged, and she was peoccupied later?

There is really nothing to do. Most likely it wasn't an intentional slight. An oversight, perhaps, caused by stress.
You can get some information about what happened that required surgery and send a get-well note.
Don't overthink it.

Maybe she just forgot to tell you, in the end she had to undergo surgery! If she notified the other via email, this might be a clue for a typo.

Make sure your supervisor actually is able to contact you.
For example, if your supervisor emailed her students via an email like physicsphd@youruniversity.com, then you need to be a member of that email list, or you won't be notified, and it won't be because your supervisor didn't want to notify you. Alternatively if your supervisor used the phone, it's possible she doesn't have your phone number.


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Leaving a TT job then re-entering academia: Area of business and management
"My question is whether I will be able to find an academic job after leaving a Tenure-Track position, with about 1 year gap"
I am currently in a situation to leave my assistant prof position (TT) in the area of business and management due to personal reasons- relocating with my partner overseas. I like my job, and I intend to reapply for academic positions in about a years time, and meanwhile will try to publish with my former colleagues and find casual teaching in local universities.
I have heard of frightening stories that once you leave academia you can never come back, unless you are a research superstar.
Just for further info, I have been working in a relatively reputable East Asian university, and my PhD was completed in the Australasia region. However I am relocating to US/Canada.
I have 5 years experience working in my current role, with ok publications - I am not a research superstar but I am regularly publishing in relatively good journals (but not top, approx 1-2 articles per year). I have extensive teaching experience and can cover more than usual topics in my area.
I don't think getting references would be a problem, but am still worried that i will not be able to make it back into academia due to the unusual career gap. Taking an unpaid leave is not an option as I do not intend to stay/come back to my current institution. Also I have been making last minute job applications to US/Canadian universities but haven't heard back from them yet (the relocation decision was made recently, so I wasn't able to target the full recruitment season).
I have seen similar posts but in the area of science - any comments on business/management area or something that may be applicable to social sciences would be greatly appreciated!

Could you take a leave of absence (or an early sabbatical) - not everyone returns from those? Can you find a university to be a visiting professor at for the duration?

Thank you for your suggestion. I could definitely ask, but it is highly unlikely that my institution will allow a leave at my level (unless its a severe medical issue). Also, our relocation decision was quite sudden and we plan to leave in Feb. Would universities accept visiting professor applications at such a short notice? (Im curious and just asking, please correct me if im wrong- the few that i did see seemed to work on a "pool" basis where they contact you if they have a spot, which is assumed to take some time)

Especially in the humanities but also in the sciences, there are far more highly qualified people than permanent positions.  This makes it unlikely for anyone to find a job regardless of what is on their CV (superstars excepted).  As I understand it, business is one of the few academic areas where there is actually a reasonable balance between the numbers of qualified applicants and available permanent positions, so what you hear in other fields may not apply.

I am worried you might not yet understand that the US and Canada are geographically large countries.  Also, for historical reasons, many major universities are in remote places where there is little employment other than the university.  My university is 130km from the nearest small city and 400km away from the nearest major city.  I wonder if availability of employment for your partner is going to constrain you to a very small number of potential jobs.

Thank you for your comments. Your first comment provides somewhat relief to my anxiety. Also, i do realize that us/canada are big places. Luckly my partner is able to hold remote work as long as he is in canada (so i can go for most areas within canada) or california in US . But other areas are still being considered. Problem is i do not have a Perminant residency and will require a visa in both countries (for at least the next year or so) which will limit my competitiveness in job applications

A visa should not be an issue in the US.  Universities are almost always able to sponsor H1B visas for international hires, and it's rare for this to be a factor in hiring decisions.  Note universities are not subject to the annual quota on H1B visas.  I believe it is similar in Canada.

"Never" is of course hyperbole.... While it presents some challenges, I'll at least observe that your situation is the very mildest kind of gap-away-from-academia situation I can imagine. Hopefully that encourages you that your applications will be considered seriously.

@AlexanderWoo thank you for the info. I guess its more of a matter whether i have a better cv than local candidates in general. Canadian universities seem to prioritize canadian citizen/pr applicants though. Understandable but sad as a foreign applicant :(

@GregMartin thank you, that is encouraging! Would there be any suggestions on how to minimize challenges and make it even more mild-er?

@Bananasplit: By law, both US and Canadian universities have to prioritize citizen/pr applicants.  In actual practice, it makes very little difference at almost all universities.  It's not that hard to make it look like someone is "obviously most qualified" or even "the only qualified applicant" well enough to satisfy the immigration bureaucrats.

I don't know that you can "never come back", but just purely by the numbers the odds are likely not in your favor. Most people find getting a teaching position a challenge even in the best of cases, and one's research CV tends to decay the longer one works outside of academia. That is to say, I believe it's not that search committees are somehow biased against people who worked in the real world, but regular jobs just don't give you much opportunity to build your CV in aspects that are normally looked at by academic search committees (papers, acquired grants, taught courses).
When I see people move back from business to academia, they usually fall into one or multiple of the following groups:

People who acquired marketable skills in industry, which sufficiently compensate for a slightly lower paper count. In my field these are mostly people working in industrial research labs or on well-known products.
People who re-enter academia in lesser-known or more practice-focused universities. Clearly, at a University of Applied Sciences some time in industry would be beneficial rather than detrimental to your application, but these positions tend to be teaching-focused (nothing wrong with that, but it may be something to be aware of).
People who re-enter academia in very specialised roles, sometimes roles specifically created for them. This tends to be the case mostly for (very) high-profile practitioners looking to transition, and will likely not apply to you as a junior with only a year or two in industry.

Thabk you for your comment. Just to note, i do not intend to work in industry during my 1 year (planned) gap, but hope to look for casual/sessional instructor jobs at universities while writing papers full time. I am fortunate enough to have a good data set to write papers on, and my partners has agreed to financially support during the process. However i am particularly worried that i will not be gaining the industry skillset you mentioned during my gap, and neither hold a formal academic position during the period.

There is risk, of course. Nothing is assured. I suggest that you prepare for the worst and work toward the best.
Academic positions are difficult to obtain at the moment. That doesn't seem likely to change soon. So, make sure you have a plan that is acceptable if you can't return.
Your plan to stay connected during your absence is a good one. Keep up with your circle of collaborators.
You can also judge to some extent how hard it will be for you to return if you examine how hard or easy it was to obtain your current TT position. If you were highly desirable and had multiple offers, is certainly much better than if you had to do several postdocs and then compromise at the end.
Good luck.

Thank you for your comment. I agree that the jobs market is tough these days. I did get a few job offers before graduation, but these were from smaller institutions outside us/canada so wasnt sure how much i could hope to return  based on these factors.


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Where to put the theoretical framework in a PhD dissertation (social sciences)
My dissertation consists of an introduction, background, literature review, methods/research design section, and a chapter for every aspect of a policy issue that I'm addressing. My theoretical framework states how I harness the literature that I summarize to my particular research problem. I thus feel like this could thus go in the lit review or as part of the research design.
I know it seems silly, but any suggestions would be great. I'm one of "those" people who needs a sense of structure (however illusory) to proceed on good faith.
Also, I've tried to search for examples in other dissertations, but it seems that a lot of work in my area these days goes straight to the analysis and primary research.

A different structure works for different manuscripts. However, the theoretical framework typically follows after the introduction and the literature review. The review should motivate the research question and the methodological and theoretical approach. The latter is then explained in the theory chapter, the former in a subsequent methodological chapter or subchapter. The methods chapter then bridges the theoretical and the empirical part of your study:

intro
review
theory
methods
empirics 1-n
analysis/discussion
conclusion


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Is there some standard protocol to suggesting reviewers/referees for a paper?
I'm submitting to a journal and they require me to suggest several reviewers.  Do they mean that I should select from among members of the editorial board, or do they mean that I should recommend from among all experts in the field?  It doesn't say anywhere.
I'm thinking they must mean to select among members of the editorial board, because I assume they're not going to bother some random member of the community who has no connection with the journal and ask him/her to work for them.   So, I'm guessing they must want me to select from among members of the editorial board.
On the other hand, selecting from among members of the editorial board is a miserable process.  Other stuff I've read on the web suggests I need to make sure the people I'm suggesting have some connection to the subject of my manuscript.  However, I find it hard to tell what each board member's interests and expertise is.  Often it's hard to find their web page (e.g., because I only have their last name and initial of their first name); many of them don't have web pages; and even if they don't have a web page, it might not be updated or might not be in English.  If they really mean I should select from among members of the editorial board, this sounds like a really bad system, which makes me doubt my guess.
So, which is it?  Who do they want me to select from?

Yes, I've seen this thread, but I don't really think it answers the question (at least the ones I have) well.

You can suggest anyone. Typical reviewers are members of the community not editors.

Your not recognizing anyone on the board is a bad sign. Make sure it's not a predatory journal. Ask your adviser to be on the safe side.

@RoboKaren, I don't think that's true. The field is massive and this journal is fairly general. It turns out in this instance that everyone except 1 are from another country. Maybe a much more senior scientist could recognize a few, but I wouldn't expect much more than that even.

"I assume they're not going to bother some guy who they have no connection to and ask him to work for them": That is exactly what they are going to do.  This is normal.

@NateEldredge, thanks. I thought it was very strange but I'm glad to be wrong!

@YungHummmma The editorial board members being in different countries is completely normal. Academia doesn't follow national boundaries like that. Even though the journal is general, I'm still worried that you've not heard of the vast majority of the editorial board: either that means they're minor people or that you don't know the major people in your area. I'd expect you'd get to learn those names by reading papers by them and/or papers that cite them.

@DavidRicherby, I'm not really surprised that they're international, I expect that. But it had the added steps of making them extra hard to find. I've read a pretty decent amount in the area I'm researching. The journal isn't a major one though.

I found the original question a bit diffuse (and a little bit of a rant, to be honest).  This is a question-and-answer site, so I edited the question to be more focused and be clearer about the question you are asking.  Take a look and make sure that I accurately reflected/represented your question.

This bit is priceless: "I'm thinking they must mean to select among members of the editorial board, because I assume they're not going to bother some random member of the community who has no connection with the journal and ask him/her to work for them." It just highlights what happens to the current paradigm of academic publishing when you look at it from the optics of common sense: it doesn't make any of the latter. Journals make money out of the free and voluntary work of authors and reviewers.

I had much the same situation before.  My first few papers didn't ask me to suggest possible referees, so when a recent paper did I was thrown for a loop.  Consulting with my Ph.D. advisor, I was basically told it didn't matter.  The editor would know if they were good, wouldn't care if they weren't, and make their own pick either way.  Since my work was based off a paper of some other authors, and my work was still in the same area (it's not like I took a group theory proof and generalized it to topos), I included several of those authors.

@DavidRicherby for some of the journals with a broad scope (including those published by major learned societies and with a good reputation) a fairly new grad student is unlikely to have heard of more than a small proportion of the editors.  However the editors should have their institutions listed, ideally with links to their own pages, and the institutions should include some well known ones.

@D.W., it was certainly a little rant-y, but I think the stuff I was talking about was relevant to the question (illustrating the specific reasons finding suitable people was so difficult). You're the boss though. It doesn't really matter though, as apparently I can choose anyone, which I was able to immediately.

No, the editorial board serves a different purpose from the reviewers. Typically, your paper will be assigned to one member of the editorial board, who will be responsible for managing the review process, and making a decision based on the reviewers' recommendations. However, the reviewers may be anyone with sufficient knowledge to understand and assess your paper.
So, feel free to list reviewers from the wide world! Note that there is typically no obligation for the editor to use the names you suggest; often they will make their own selection, based on their knowledge of the field.

Thank you, that makes my life much easier. I was going insane here.

As a minor extension to avid's answer, I'll point out that depending on the specific subject area of your manuscript, it may occasionally happen that a person among the editorial board may find himself/herself to be in a position to be able to examine the manuscript. This, while being a tiny subset among all possibilities, is generally a happy situation from the point of view of saving manuscript review time.

Of course, the caveat in my second sentence is - it is happy only when the decision is favorable!