text:
Is intentionally delaying graduation questionable?
I'm in a 3 year pure math BSc in Europe, currently on my 5th semester, definitely can graduate by the end of the spring semester of 2022. I have heard in this SE that graduating earlier than planned (for example in 3 years in the US) is only impressive to yourself, but what about intentionally delaying my graduation, would it be detrimental for grad school considerations?
What I mean is fulfilling all requirements of graduation (all mandatory subjects, credit requirements, thesis) without "clicking the I graduated! button". I have not checked the technical details  about this, as it would require talking to my coordinator/advisor and I'm still in the exploratory phase about this idea.
My (probably very very dumb) reasoning is that I want to retake some very important classes, real analysis, ODE, differential geometry. I also realized that I want to take measure theory which is only offered in the fall semester.
If I were to do this, I might extend by a semester..., maybe two since most programs start in fall anyway.

I cannot speak for perceptions in the UK, but in the US few grad admissions people would perceive taking 4 years as "delayed", considering that that's the standard time here. And taking more intro-grad-level courses prior to actual grad school is always a good choice.

Depending on career goals it might be a problem if it leaves you with a gap before starting the next stage. I assume you want an academic career if measure theory is on your horizon. Why do you want to retake courses????

@paulgarrett, the UK and US bachelors are very different. Much more specialized in UK and Europe generally than in US.

@Buffy, yes, to some degree I understand the difference. But, still, I'd advocate not "doing the minimum" in any context. :)

@Buffy actually my line of reasoning is I want an analyst job in finance/ related, which requires a lot of probability theory/stochastics. I am currently under the impression that I am hiding so much under the carpet if I don't have measure theory under my belt. Also I want to retake classes because I am more confident with my mathematical abilities now, while before I felt I was not ready (especially because of online education). I thought having A's in those important subjects would help me a lot.

And if nothing else I didn't understand what I was doing in analysis classes, hence I would rather retake, now that I feel that I am more capable.

Perhaps this is what you are looking for: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/11765/how-to-effectively-deal-with-imposter-syndrome-and-feelings-of-inadequacy-ive

If you want a job in industry, I suggest that you get in the market and see what options you have there. You can decide that you have good enough options to jump sooner or that, from what you learn, you should 'bulk up' your resume somewhat.
But, there is no reason that you can't "relearn" the stuff from older courses without retaking them. If you have grades enough to graduate you have probably learned enough to continue on your own. And those online courses still exist if you want something like lectures.
I think that the finance industry is probably going to start out any new hire in a probationary position, regardless of their grades and such. I can't speak for the validity of measure theory for finance as my (long ago) course was very theoretical and not available to undergrads. Great course, but you'd have to be sure that it actually has application.
So, I suggest a "dual" track. Work so that you can go either way if you come to a fork in the road. Make the decision when you need to.

If you were headed to grad school instead, I'd suggest that you don't delay. You can take measure theory there, I suspect (certainly true in US, anyway).

If you would like to take some additional courses (or re-take some you have already taken) then it is okay to delay graduation to do so.  Just bear in mind that there is an opportunity cost to this decision, since the time spent on those courses is time not spent gaining experience in a graduate program or in the workforce.  Since your goal (which you mention in comments) is to upskill in probability theory/stochastic modelling, it is perfectly reasonable for you to take or re-take formal courses for this purpose.  I recommend augmenting this by learning how to program in at least one commonly used statistical programming language (e.g., R, Python, SAS).  I would be surprised if a relatively short period of re-learning is held against you by any admissions committee, even if it delays your graduation.
Aside from bearing in mind opportunity costs, another thing to be cognisant of is the possibility that you may be experiencing trepidation about leaving the comfort and safety of your existing degree program for the uncertainty of graduate school or the workforce.  Sometimes students who are approaching the end of their degree program experience fear of undertaking new challenges, and this can cause them to shy away from progression to the next step in their career.  If you find you are delaying graduation excessively (e.g., by more than a year) then this may be an indication that you should self-reflect on your long-term goals and your feelings about taking the leap into the next stage of your career.

And suppose one is in the condition described on your 2nd paragraph, what should one do?

In that latter situation, I think you would need to push yourself to take the uncomfortable step into the workforce.  More generally, it would also be worth taking action to push yourself outside your comfort zone more often, to adjust to being able to undertake these kinds of actions.

If you intentionally delay your graduation, people might question your ability to make good financial decisions.
That will not stop professors from selecting you as a graduate student.  After all, choosing to be a professor is often a poor financial decision too.


text:
How to 'decide' it's impossible and live with the decision?
I have 2 options:

I still have a very real chance to graduate with a (quite) legendary gpa, however this option is sort of throwing all of my eggs in one basket, as it makes me very committed (by limiting options) to continuing in academia.
Doing a part-time internship (but 30 hours/week, I was shocked too). I consider this as a much safer option.

Truth be told I've made my decision on which option to take, but I couldn't make peace with myself about the decision. Not in which option to take, but in wanting to do both. Doing both is stupid, I had confirm this stupidity myself by asking a few people, and all agree that doing both is basically impossible.
However, this wouldn't be the first time I had to choose on something like this. The last I had to decide between two tasks to focus in, I attempted to focus on both. And stupidly, I was rewarded with being able to do both (in this sense, if you award 1 point for completing one of the tasks, last year I get ~1.7/2 points by doing both).
That was done by having 2-3 hours of sleep/night on average, sustained for a whole semester, and being a hermit in general. I do not wish to go through this again, especially since I have relationships that I wish to maintain. This idea of doing both, however, keeps on haunting me. Something like, "if you can do it last time, why not this time?".
As I already made my decision, my question is how to live with the decision? It has gotten to a point where it keeps on distracting me during class, and I slowly begin toying with the idea of doing both (which is BAD).

It depends on your field, of course, but GPA is increasingly becoming sidelined in favor of other metrics where graduate student selection is concerned. If you think there is any chance you may want to continue in academia you need to demonstrate that you can produce results (via leadership, research, industry experience, etc), not just that you can get A's. Do not allow yourself to become narrowly focused on GPA. Of course you don't want an awful one, but even if you have a 4.0 your GPA will not be "legendary" as you will soon find there are many students with perfect GPAs that you will be in competition with when you apply to graduate study or jobs. I hope that helps.

A big part of being an adult is making these decisions. You will never ever have enough hours in a day to pursue everything you like, and some of these decisions come from the "what options do I sacrifice", rather than "what do I like the most". That freedom you have when everything is in your reach also comes with a price - the opportunity cost - you can not have everything at once. You have to pick where to go for a vacation (and, by extension, forgo other destinations or push them to a later date), if you choose to have kids they would also not be the very same you have imagined. Let it go. It is hard to give tips on specifically that, though - I would not say I have been personally doing anything other than sort of observing that decision and growing to accept it. But initially, it was just overpowering the emotional attachment to the other option.
And if you still have not found out that sleeping 2-3 hours a night is not sustainable... Your body will tell you soon enough. Convincing yourself that trying is not even worth it maybe requires to step on a rake a few times, but at very least do not stake your health on it. You would find these blood vessels feeding your brain are not that strong, and sleeping a couple hours short of your body needs as much as once in a few weeks' time would knock you out for the day.

GPA is far from the only thing admissions committees look at
They understand some people take lighter course loads and are full-time students.  Some people finish in 3 years.  Some students work part-time while in school.  Some students don't "get serious" until Junior year.
What is the difference between a 3.7 full-time student and a 3.5 student with a 25 hour a week job?
The student who made As Freshman and Sophomore vs the student who had a bad Freshman year but made all As since?
There are also students that make a 4.0 in college.
Be sure you can get great recommendations letters.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How to query gender in a multiple-choice poll/survey?
In a study where human subjects are given questionnaires, it may be interesting to analyze whether effects are gender-specific and/or more pronounced in one gender than in (the) other(s). How can this information be gathered in a way that respects every individual independent of gender? How many checkboxes does one need for the question, and how should these be labeled?

Related in UX: Order of male and female in survey form

The answer to this question should depend on why the data is collected so that one actually gather the relevant information (be it gender, sex or other).

Depends on the country in which you're carrying out the survey. In the western world, @jakebeal is probably correct. If you're out east, Male/Female will probably be fine.

Please see also https://ux.stackexchange.com/search?q=gender+is%3Aq . Note that in many cases, the answer is "don't".

@Drakryttare, see, for example, the XKCD color name survey: since color vision has a strong genetic component, the question asked was "Do you have a Y chromosome?"

@Mark: And ironically, the results ended up focusing infinitely more on gender than on chromosomal configuration; see, for example, https://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/06/sex-and-gender/. This is hard to get right!

I have previously seen this done in the following simple way:

Female
Male
Other (fill in blank) ________
Decline to Answer

This makes the common case (Male/Female) easy to code, allows unbounded expression for people who don't fall into that category, and also allows people to opt out of providing the information.
Your IRB, of course, will need to review this just as they do with all other parts of your survey.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

What is IRB and is it country-specific?

@TommiBrander IRB is an Institutional Review Board and they approve any experiments done on people for ethical and other concerns.  They most likely are country specific, bot I expect the idea translates to most places.

Many hundreds of years ago I saw a form that collected this information using the categories "plugs" and "sockets."  I remember fondly the woman who wrote this form.  She's an electrical engineer.  (You can't get away with this in 2018.)

One option is not to have checkboxes at all. Just give people a single free-text field, let them write whatever describes their gender best, and then use manual or automated methods to code those responses into categories. Optionally include a prompt along the lines of "e.g. male, female, genderqueer" to clarify that non-binary answers are welcome.
Advantages
This approach guarantees that everybody can give the answer that fits them best, and it's unlikely to offend anybody except those who resent being asked for their gender at all. You don't have to work through a long list of gender variations trying to anticipate every option that somebody might want, and it puts everybody on an even footing without the problem of "othering" (see below).
Disadvantages
It does require a bit more work on the experimenter's side since you need to set up a coding system. But this is less than it might seem, because again you don't need to decide in advance for every possible response that somebody might give; you only need to determine rules for the answers that people actually gave. Mostly likely you will end up with 90%+ that can unambiguously be classified as either "male" or "female", and a small percentage of non-binary responses.
Some people may use a free-text field to write nonsense answers, but this is a good thing; these people are likely to give bad answers to checkbox questions too, so filtering them out of the results is a Good Thing.
Analysing non-binary responses
In theory, you might then end up with some complicated decisions about which non-binary responses should be categorised together for data analysis. In practice, this question will probably be largely answered by issues of sample size. Unless you're running an exceptionally large survey or targeting populations with an unusually high percentage of non-binary people, you probably won't have enough non-binary responses to get meaningful findings for any categorisation finer than "non-binary", if even that.
This doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to make the design respectful of non-binary people; it just means that your main reason for doing so is "treating people with respect", rather than data collection per se.
Side points
Stealing some good points from other people's answers, it's worth considering the purpose for which this data will be used, and to check your institution's policies on human subjects research for guidance.
What is "othering"?
For those not familiar with the concept of othering: many classification systems emphasise the characteristics of the people who designed them, or those considered more important, with "other" used as a catch-all for many different things whose only common characteristic might be that they're unfamiliar/unimportant to the designer of the classification. This excellent series from Robot Hugs discusses the issue in detail, giving a couple of examples from the Dewey Decimal System: its religion section has seven two-digit categories for various topics from Christianity, whereas all non-Christian religions are lumped together in a single "Other religions" group, and the same ratio for European vs. non-European languages.
This sort of framing can be disrespectful to "others", since it can be read as saying "the most important thing about you is that you're Not One Of Us". It also presents the possibility of bias; if researchers from different cultures make different decisions about what gets "othered" in their forms, it's hard to compare results. (Even if both forms have text fields that allow people to enter custom answers, respondents may be more willing to tick a box than to write it in.)

@DSVA How is describing its own gender "not useful" if there is a field for that? If you'd have preferred only male and female answerers (which may or may not be justified by your study), then you should have tell that from the start, instead of wasting everybody's time.

@DSVA Yep, my point was that if you're ready not to differentiate between all the possible genders (which require some degree of a priori knowledge) AND if you're asking for the gender of the answerer, then better actually excluding non-binary people from the analysis. But otherwise, I agree with you ; jakebeal's solution below is the best in this regard.

@DSVA: That's very useful. You know anyone who writes "attack helicopter" is a transphobic troll and their responses are probably not valid data.

Anyone who writes "apache attack helicopter" is making fun of your free-form gender field. If the rest of the survey has nothing to do with gender identity, I don't see why they would put invalid data there.

@DSVA You may want to reread the original question. OP didn't ask "how can I get gender information in a way that will let me split analysis by 23 different categories?" They asked "how can this information be gathered in a way that respects every individual regardless of gender?" and my response is intended to address that question. If you reread my answer, you may see that I already acknowledged the issue of small subgroups.

@DSVA, If you get 5% of non binary, I assume that people didn't understand the question as it exceed the % of "anomalie"(Don't have the english neutralword for this). Either your study is targeting them, that's close to the % I would expect, on a population claiming to be, after a karyotype test. Or you have a sample size issue.

@DragandDrop About 5% of people will respond just about anything when polled, so this may not be indicative of anything.

Great answer. Could you possibly also expand just a little bit on the problem of (literally) "othering", for folks who don't already know what that is and who aren't likely to follow the link?

Just my personal reaction to this:  a single free-text field leaves me with some uncertainty/anxiety as to whether answers other than "male" or "female" are welcome, so I have to guess and weigh the possible consequences which may include a confrontation.  In this respect, I'd prefer to be presented with "Female / Male / Other  (fill in blank) _____ / Decline to answer" since that makes it more clear to me that my answer is welcome and that the intent is to respect me as an individual.

@DonHatch Fair point. I've edited my response to include an alternate solution to the issue you mention, see if that looks like an improvement?

Yes, the sentence you added to the end of the first paragraph resolves my problem nicely; thank you.

One hazard of a fill-in-the-blank for something like gender labels is that, even if a person knows exactly what they mean to say, it can be unclear to them how the label'll be understood in that context.  It could help to provide some short descriptions with a list of common labels, possibly in a popup-help-window if it's an electronic survey, to clarify any confusion.

One other potential disadvantage with open-ended forms is identifying if unusual input is deliberate or not. For example, if I have a field for: "Preferred pronouns", and someone puts in "xe", then I have to make the judgement call if the user genuinely intended that or if it's a mispelling of "he". In this instance, "xe" is well known enough that I can assume it's intentional, but if someone filled out "gender" with "fmale", I wouldn't know what to do with it. I might assume they meant "female", but now I run the risk of asking someone their gender then discounting their answer.

@R.. I'm not sure we can validly jump to the conclusion that such people are "transphobic".

@LightnessRacesinOrbit: "attack helicopter" is a well-known transphobic meme, and there's no plausible reason someone would think to enter it without being aware of the meme.

@R.. I stand corrected (having never heard of that term before). I read it more in the vein of "No sir, I am a, er, meat popsicle" i.e. random whimsy

@LordFarquaad Data entry errors are an issue with any method for this. If you give people checkboxes, some will absent-mindedly click the wrong box. Typing requires a bit more focus than clicking boxes, so I wouldn't be surprised if open-ended is less error-prone than a checkbox method - but that's pure speculation on my part, I have no data to back it up.

@GeoffreyBrent I think the difference for me, is that a data entry error with checkboxes means you got bad data, but there's no question of what was given to you. In other words, it's "good data in, good data out; bad data in, bad data out". Text boxes introduce a step for humans to determine borderline entries though, which opens the door to "good data in, bad data out". "F" should pretty clearly be treated as female, but "fmale" is a little fuzzy to me. Having said that, I do think text fields are better in the general case; there just may be some specific cases where that may be important.

@LordFarquaad UX horror story: form design where the options were "M" and "F" but in context it wasn't clear whether these meant "Male" and "Female", or "Mother" and "Father".

The honest, if slightly cop-out answer, is that it depends on what you need the data for.
I'll break it down further:
Section One: Gender
Let's say you're doing a sociological study in which you're looking for gendered trends. You have a few options here, which I'll outline some of the pros and cons of:
Option One: Free Text

What is your gender? [Free text input field here]

However, this runs into a few issues.

People might answer in bad faith (e.g., "apache helicopter" from above). There's a valid argument to be made that this can be used to just disqualify their data, but depending on how much you're manually reviewing this data vs. automatically parsing it, it might result in artificial inflation of the nonbinary data if your data parser treats anything but "male" or "female" as nonbinary.
Typos happen. If you're manually reviewing the data, it's not a huge deal if someone screw up and enters "fmeale", but if your data will largely be handled algorithmically, you're going to have to get some extensive typo handling.
Even without typos, you're going to have to have some extensive 'synonym' consideration if you're algorithmically parsing your data. For example, "m" and "male" will definitely map to the same category. But what if someone enters "trans man"? Are you separating cis vs. trans binary identities in your analysis, or no? Either is fine, depending on what you're planning on doing with the data, but it's a decision you'll have to make. Also, if you do want to analyze them separately, you may want to break it down.

Generally, this is a good option if you're mostly going to be manually reviewing your data, but if you're planning to let a computer analyze most of it, this probably isn't your best option.
Option Two: Radio Buttons
Let's be honest. Unless you're specifically surveying nonbinary/LGBPTQIA+ audiences, you're probably not distinguishing between "genderqueer", "agender", "genderfuild", etc. If you're only looking for broader trends, you might consider the most basic possible situation, which is just a static select list of:

Male
Female
Nonbinary

This avoids the "othering" of the literal "other", but allows you to avoid having to parse extra data/sanitize potential invalid responses. (That having been said, you're free to tack on a free text box next to "Nonbinary" to let people enter in their gender, which you can either save for the extra data or quietly discard.) This is also a lot less likely to see bad faith data entering, as people tend to answer more honestly if you don't let them do "apache helicopter" jokes.
Generally, this approach is good if you're going to be letting a computer process most of the data and you don't need to differentiate between cis vs. binary trans individuals in your results.
Option Three: More Radio Buttons
But what if you're going more in depth into trends based on cis vs. trans identities and you do need to distinguish in more detail than "male", "female" and "nonbinary"? Then my suggestion is just to add based on the categories you're tracking. For example:
What is your gender?
Terminology note: "cis" means that you identify as the same gender you were assigned at birth. E.g., if you were raised as a girl, and still feel like a girl, you are cis. Intersex individuals, please choose based on the category you feel best describes you.

Cis Man
Cis Woman
Trans Man
Trans Woman
Nonbinary
(You can specify "Nonbinary, Assigned Male at Birth" and "Nonbinary, Assigned Female at Birth" if you need the data, but it can be considered a bit invasive, so I suggest not including it unless you really do need it.)

Generally, this approach is good if you're going to be letting a computer process most of the data and you DO need to differentiate between cis vs. binary trans individuals in your results.
Section Two: Sex
Let's say you're doing something medical, where physical sex is the relevant feature here. You might think that this would be easier. Unfortunately, you would be wrong, for two reasons:

Trans people may be on hormones which will skew the results for
their sex
Intersex people exist.

So with that in mind, let's consider a few scenarios here, and what their advantages/disadvantages are.
Option One: Just the Y Chromosome, please!
Some people have already linked the XKCD blog post on the matter in here. For those who haven't checked that link out yet, the basic idea is that XKCD was doing a survey based on how people see color. Since colorblindness rates are closely linked to someone's sex chromosomes (as the colorblindness gene is carried on the x chromosome and is recessive), the survey made a decision to ask if someone had a Y chromosome or not. I appreciate how Randall handled it. It was a sensible question for his usage.
I also think it was the wrong question to ask. Not because of any sensitivity concerns, but because I think it'll skew his data for XXY individuals. Granted, XXY people with colorblindness genes are... a very small subset of the population... but if it's data you're interested in, this will skew it. I'd say that unless it's something actually carried on the Y chromosome, don't ask it like this.
Option Two: Just the Chromosomes, Please
Say you're doing something like the case above, where you're tracking colorblindness based on chromosomes. I'd honestly suggest something like this:
Please select your sex chromosome configuration here. We need to know this because colorblindness is related to sex chromosomes. If you do not know your chromosomes for sure, please take your best guess based on your sex. Men will typically have XY chromosomes, and women will typically have XX chromosomes. Trans individuals, please answer based on the sex you were assigned at birth.
* XX
* XY
* X
* XXX
* XYY
* XXXX
* XXXY
* XXYY
* XXXXY
* XXXXX
(You may also go more in depth and just ask for all options listed under Sex chromosome disorders, as well as the most common XX/XY.)
This, obviously, is a very long list, but here's the thing: if you need chromosome information, you need chromosome information. Don't shortcut it just because it's rare. It might not be a lot of data, but it's still data.
Section Three: It's More Complicated, Actually
But what if you need more data? What if you're studying something correlated with hormone levels, or with socialization, etc.? This is above and beyond the hardest scenario here, because there's so many possible options. People can complain all they want about PC culture and having too many genders, but the fact is that you're looking for data on lived experiences, and you don't need to approve of their gender identity to acknowledge that it's going to affect your data. In this case, you might consider doing one giant kitchen sink list that includes all options. I really don't suggest this. I even tried doing a list of options just for that case, and this is as far as I got:
What is your gender?
Terminology note: "cis" means that you identify as the same gender you were assigned at birth. E.g., if you were raised as a girl, and still feel like a girl, you are cis. Because we are also considering the impacts of hormones, we need to know information such as intersex configurations and hormone therapy. Please choose the best fit of the following:

Cis man, non-intersex
Cis woman, non-intersex
Trans man, non-intersex, no HRT
Trans man, non-intersex, HRT
Trans woman, non-intersex, no HRT
Trans woman, non-intersex, HRT
Nonbinary, assigned male at birth, non-intersex, no HRT
Nonbinary, assigned male at birth, non-intersex, HRT
Nonbinary, assigned male at birth, non-intersex, no HRT
Nonbinary, assigned male at birth, non-intersex, HRT

And I didn't even finish! I got to the point where I had to try to break down intersex options and I gave up. This is a terrible list and no one wants to deal with it, on either end.
So instead, do it better: just ask multiple questions. My personal suggestion would be something like:
Question One: What is your gender? [Choose one of the questions from section one, as your data requires]
Question Two: What is your sex? [Choose one of the questions from section two, as your data requires]
Question Three: If you have a uterus, have you started or undergone menopause?
Question Four: If you are trans/nonbinary, have you undergone hormone replacement therapy?
[Continue to ask questions as you need]
Section Four: The Conclusion
Again, this is a complicated question, and you can get either fairly simple or fairly complicated implementations as your data requires. In general, however, you can keep the following guiding principles in mind:

What data do I need?
What are all of the possible cases for the data I need?
What is the best way to account for all of those cases in a way that my survey responders will understand?
Don't cheap out just because it will cover "most" of the cases you need. No one likes to be excluded, and excluding data, even outlier data, will impact your results.
Don't be a jerk. Just because it isn't your experience, doesn't mean it isn't someone's. Be respectful, and be open to feedback from participants.

+1. Don't be a jerk. And everything else you said.

One alternative to your section three that is amenable to computer analysis is to create a binary tree of yes-no questions. Root is something like, for example: "Do you now identify as male?". Each answer, combined with all previous answers, is used to select the next question, say, for "no": "Have you ever self-identified as male?". It is complex as you suggest and implies a complete analysis that is tailored to your need and also sensitive to the understandings of others. Being complex, you need to justify your need for the information as you say (sociological, medical, vs curious).

I'll also note that there are at least three independent factors in sex/gender. Your mind, your "plumbing", and your hormonal system. All have an influence but none is absolutely determinative. In the past people discounted your mind - what you thought - and imposed a classification on you. Now, with modern medicine, surgery, and pharmacology, a person can bring the three to a self-desired balance. We now recognizes that people have choices as well as biology where this was denied in the past, and, by some, even now.

@Buffy I can't seem to upvote comments yet, probably because I like just joined to answer this question, but agreed with the binary tree as a possible solution. It also has the benefit of not having to show questions to which the answer will just be "N/A" (e.g., if the user identifies himself as a cis non-intersex man, you can skip any menopause questions.)

I'll also note that, assuming my "three factors" is at least approximately correct, that none of those three factors is binary. My sense if it all is "You are what you think you are." i.e. Mind rules. But that doesn't make it easier for those for whom the factors don't easily and naturally agree. Nevermind what "society" tells you.

This is an excellent and comprehensive review. +1, and welcome to the community.

@Buffy The way I've seen the terms sex vs gender used by LGBT people and in contexts trying to be sensitive to them is to use "gender" to specifically refer to the phenomenological experience bit, and sex to refer to the more nebulous, multi-factor one. I think that you've identified three of the major aspects of sex, though chromosomes should also be on that list as a fourth major factor. I'll also note that your historical description is lacking: many cultures from many time periods have had more than two genders. A partial list can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_gender

@StellaBiderman, actually, I threw the chromosome structure in with plumbing and hormonal structure, since it is partly responsible for both. But, like I said, none of these are binary, including chromosomes. An interesting read is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex. I'm not sure what you mean by my historical description.

@Buffy I somewhat misread your comment, but I was trying to reference "Now, with modern medicine... We now recognizes that people have choices as well as biology where this was denied in the past, and, by some, even now."

@StellaBiderman, good, but subtle. Yes, in some cultures people do have choices even without medicine, etc. In general, some cultures are more accepting and less condemning than others. I'm pretty sure that the first peoples in the new world fall closer to the former side. And yes, South Asia was actually known to me. Good catch.

Just asking... How many people know their chromosome types? Would I know if I had something other than XY/XX ? I have never been tested for that.

Some of the questions there might get some annoyed answers along the lines of "cis/trans is not a gender". Which is fair comment. Probably better to separate that into another question, if it's important.

@falcon Sex chromosome disorders will often be discovered eventually; many have signs early in life, or will impact fertility. Typically if you know you have one, you know your chromosomes. But yes, sometimes someone will have a sex chromosome disorder and not know it. It's unfortunate to have that noise in your data, but unless you offer karyotyping, there's not a lot of ways around it; asking for just m/f means even more misidentified intersex people, and if you're looking for sex chromosome related patterns, just "intersex" isn't great b/c X/XXY/etc. are very different for your needs

@flyto Good point, upvoted.

@falcon I forgot to add that this is data that's becoming more reliable over time, as fetuses will often be karyotyped as part of pregnancy checkups.

@AmberB. note that using "disorder" as a default term for intersex status is problematic; "condition" might be a better word. See discussion at https://oiiinternational.com/2602/terminology-intersex/ for why many intersex people are opposed to "disorder".

@GeoffreyBrent Completely fair, thank you for the correction! I really should have known better there, I was just mimicking the Wikipedia article.

I'm surprised to not see a format that I've been seeing with regularity over the last few years (UK Academia):

How do you describe your gender:

Male
Female
Other ______
Prefer not to say

Is your gender the same as that assigned at birth:

Yes
No
Prefer not to say

It's totally unambiguous and you get definitive information but it gives respondents total control of how much information to give without boxing them in to options.

I know in today's climate this isn't a particularly popular approach but depending on the context of the study it may be most appropriate to ask about biological sex (aka whether or not they are in possession of a Y chromosome) rather than gender.
This way it is unambiguous, you either have a Y chromosome or you don't.
In biological/clinical studies this would probably be the most sensible approach but in the social sciences this may prove insufficient and one of the methods above may prove more useful.

In light of comments about this suggestion being transphobic (it isn't but people are sensitive in the US), the other answer is to ask whether or not you were born in possession of a penis, a vagina or both but that comes across as a little crass.
I would also add that unless it is absolutely necessary for your study to know the gender/sex of your participants, just don't ask.

An extended discussion on this answer has been moved to chat. Many useful points have been raised there; please visit the linked chat room to see the concerns raised by some users and/or to discuss your own perspective on this answer. (See this meta post for more info.)

If you are in the US you should (must) ask this question of your IRB. The answer may depend on the overall nature of your study, not just this one question. They will probably want to know how you intend to use this information (and everything else).
Rather than Male, Female, blank. It might be Male, Female, Decline to Answer. Even that will, however, offend some people who are, for example, non-binary. But if you think you need to list all possibilities you have quite a number of self identified genders. And you would have to justify the question. Some will consider the question intrusive for some purposes.
If you are not in the US, then local laws may also apply to any study with human subjects and you need to know this. I don't know the law in Germany.
One option that may be acceptable is to not use a bulleted list, but a field in which people can characterize themselves. This makes for a more difficult research design, of course, since  you don't know in advance what the responses will be. Moreover, depending on who fills out the questionnaire, the results might be more creative than you like, as mentioned in the comments here.
Of course you don't know that people will answer honestly in any case. This could occur if you are asking for sensitive information otherwise.
Yet another complication for such research, that needs to be considered in the design. If you get, say 90% "male" responses, how to you make a determination about whether the results differ by gender? It's not impossible to do, of course, but you have to have a plan.

Based on a comment I made to the excellent answer of Amber B., an alternative to a bulleted list or an open-ended field and that is amenable to computer analysis is to create a binary tree of yes-no questions. Root is something like, for example: "Do you now identify as male?". Each answer, combined with all previous answers, is used to select the next question, say, for "no": "Have you ever self-identified as male?". It is complex as you suggest and implies a complete analysis that is tailored to your need and also sensitive to the understandings of others. Being complex, you need to justify your need for the information as you say (sociological, medical, vs curious).
The next answer, however, must be based on all previous answers, not just the recent one. It may be that "currently" identifying as male may not be enough, and that lots of combinations are possible. But this, at least gives you a way to analyze the results.
And I'll also note, based on my other comments there that: there are at least three independent factors in sex/gender. Your mind, your "plumbing", and your hormonal system. (I'm not a medical geek, but think that chromosomes have an influence on both plumbing and hormonal structure. All have an influence but none is absolutely determinative. In the past people discounted your mind - what you thought - and imposed a classification on you. Now, with modern medicine, surgery, and pharmacology, a person can bring the three to a self-desired balance. We now recognizes that people have choices as well as biology where this was denied in the past, and, by some, even now.
Finally (perhaps), none of those three factors is binary, not even chromosomes. All three have a range of values that combine into "who we are".

Your "Rather than... Blank" seemed to miss noticing the point I made in my comment that "blank" could be offensive...

Your recommendation leaves many people stuck with "decline to answer" even if they want to answer.

@R.., I guess I don't see that. A trans male will comfortably answer male unless they don't wish to answer at all. Many people, whether in small demographics or large may also decline to answer, especially if they feel it is irrelevant to the other questions. But note that I didn't claim this was the best solution. What I do claim is that if you want to ask such questions you need a very valid reason for doing so, and if you need a fine-grained breakdown you need a much better vehicle than a simple set of radio buttons.

@Buffy: It's not particularly trans exclusive, but is exclusive of nonbinary ppl.

@R.., yes, of course. TY

The conversation about joke answers to blank fields and football as a religion has been moved to chat.

This is really an experimental design question. The first question you probably want to answer is are you interested in sex (i.e., the biological construct) or gender (i.e., the social construct). The second question is how are you going to analyze the data. Unless your are actively recruiting individuals with particular genders, the odds of a random convenience sample having enough individuals that do not identify as a man or a woman means to do meaningful statistics, means you probably can get away with an other group.
Including a "decline to answer" option also depends on your experimental design. If you want to given them a decline option you can make the option other/decline if you are going to group them together. In a random convenience sample, you might get enough individuals that decline to answer that you can do stats on them as a third group.
As with all studies involving human subjects, make sure that you get IRB approval or that the study meets the requirements to be exempt.

It does rather depend on whether you are interested in gender or sex. As has been pointed out, neither is easy, but can be relevant.
The best wording I've seen for the gender question is "What, if any, do you consider your gender to be?". You might get some silly answers to this, but as has been pointed out, if someone answers "Attack helicopter", this is probably a good reason to exclude all other answers from that person.
For sex you should make it clear in the question you mean sex and not gender. There is no hard an fast rule to tell someones sex, and as has been pointed out some individuals are intersex, but with a large enough sample, people answering this question "wrong" should even out.

As another idea, the 2017 Nerdfighteria Census used a "check all that apply" strategy:

Gender (check all that apply)?
☐ Female
  ☐ Male
  ☐ Genderqueer
  ☐ Agender
  ☐ Transgender
  ☐ Gender fluid
  ☐ Questioning
  ☐ Non-Binary
Other (please specify) ________

(See also the analysis of results for that survey here.)

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


text:
How can I properly attribute unpublished data gathered by someone else when using it in my masters thesis?
I am currently writing my master's thesis. The project is a cooperation of the lab of my university supervisor, where I am writing the thesis, and a research institute, where I am employed part-time as a research assistant.
My thesis work involves analyzing measurements that were taken from someone else who is affiliated with the research institute. The measurements are not part of a public dataset and, as far as I know, will not be published. The data is not being reused from previous work, but was measured for this project.
I want to explicitly state in my thesis that taking these measurements are not part of my thesis, but I am unsure how to do this properly. Throughout the majority of my work, the data is used, so I would like to avoid mentioning its origin each time. It would of course make sense for me to acknowledge the contribution of the person who conducted the measurements, but I do not think this is sufficient.
The reason I am asking about this is that in order to submit my thesis, I am required to sign a form stating 'I am the sole author of this document and did everything myself, unless stated otherwise', which I believe is quite common. For other documents, a citation would be appropriate. However, I believe this case is different because there is no formal document accompanying the dataset.

How can I sufficiently state that the data used throughout my thesis was not measured by me, and at which point in the thesis should I do so?
Is it sufficient to mention the origin of data once, such as in the introduction?
Should I write a section (perhaps in the appendix) where the measurements are described in detail, including who conducted them?

Related Questions:

How to write the data section when data is reused from a previous work? (different, because it is about re-using data from a previous paper of the same author)
How to use data from a colleague who retired in my thesis without commiting fraud or plagiarism (The person who gathered the data is suggested as a co-author, which is not allowed for my master thesis)

In my opinion, stating in the introduction "the data were taken in the such and such experiment prepared and run by A.Becede" would be enough. It's not unusual to analyse data from someone else's experiments, especially at MSc level.
Just as a tip, in my field when we cite something unpublished, we cite it as:
"A.Becede - private communication"
or
"courtesy of A.Becede".

Just write about the data source in your introduction, list the data source   in your bibliography as "unpublished" and sign the statement. If you want to publish your results in a (peer reviewed) journal you may encounter difficulties with private data, but that should be no problem for a Master's thesis.
If a detailed description of how the measurements were made is important information for understanding your work then do write a section containing that information.

You might need permission to give a "detailed" description, however. Some things are proprietary and considered trade secrets by their creators. Especially since data can't be copyrighted - in US, at least.


text:
Thesis advisor saw me doing really well without being pestered too much, but now I need the pestering (I need his input basically)
My supervisor was away for a few weeks, saw (let's say at time=1) that my thesis was progressing really well, and I guess he decided it's best to leave me with minimal supervision. We talk maybe once every 3-4 weeks now, and to be honest now is the time that I actually really need his advice. Contacting him is impossible, thus I turn here now in hope of some help.
The first problem is I'm running out of things to write. When he initially showed the topic, I was under the impression that I will be taking approaches A and B which I genuinely like and enjoy (I was recommended to do my thesis with him precisely because I like approaches A and B). But his recent results smashed a lot of small results that uses approaches A and B, making them irrelevant. I did try to include older material that is at least useful, but I'm really running dry on material (even to read). There is an approach C, but it uses theories outside the scope of an undergraduate, and I no longer have the time to read up on the theories first.
The second problem is that I'm feeling that my thesis is kind of, well, too simple. I feel like I could've written the core material (apart from the linear algebra parts) in high school. Graph theory often feels like this though, and this is why I need his opinion. I'm currently writing another section that is only related to the main topic if you squint hard enough, with the sole reason that the section acts as a 'difficulty anchor'. By that I mean I just want to demonstrate that I can do a little mathematics too. I don't know how ridiculous this is.
Maybe there is a question implicitly from the last two paragraphs, I really don't know. I find that I also can't explicitly formulate the question, since I don't even know what is my question. Maybe I'm just looking to clear doubts.

Your paragraph ending with a reference to approach C suggests that this is an undergraduate thesis.
If that's the case, I think you may have little to worry about. Undergraduates are not usually expected to prove new theorems in their theses.
You don't say why it's impossible to contact your advisor. Perhaps he has some good personal reason. Perhaps you need his help less than you think you do.
I suggest that you write up what you did with approaches A and B, independent of the fact that your advisor has proved things you were working on. Be sure to cite his work. If you can reprove theorems a different way, that's a good thing. Sketch out further ideas in your "difficulty anchor" chapter.


text:
As someone used to small (3-4 people) lectures, what is the appropriate way to communicate to my professor?
In my bachelor's, our lectures were very small, and my professors know me quite well. Furthermore, due to the whole covid situation, we used teams and thus I had a somewhat informal way to just ask/discuss with my professors (to me it seems so much more innocent to just chat my professor instead of e-mailing him/her, and thus discussions were more fluid).
I'm doing my master's now in the other side of Europe, in lecture halls filled with ~100 people. My only way to communicate with my professors is to e-mail them, and this causes me some discomfort - I can't just drop an e-mail, then another one in an hour, and another one later on at night, it just feels wrong. Plus, I'm not aware if there are different expectations towards me now that I'm doing my master's.
The reason why I need to ask so many questions is that I'm now taking math classes shared with other majors (engineers, etc). Our lecture notes are often a bit (very) hand-waivey, and I just can't follow the argument. Sometimes I can't even decide if it's me that is missing something, or the professor never intended for us to follow an argument to begin with.

Do you have smaller group sessions with a TA?

Office hours are not an option?

@Buffy Eh, I suppose there is, but I've had several questions that they also do not know the answer to, unfortunately.

@TerryLoring Actually there is. A drawback is that I would need to accumulate enough small questions before visiting the professor, but I suppose I can try that.

Figure out whether forming a study group with a few students is within the rules. Some places they are encouraged, actually. A group can often work out most of the issues.

And yes, as a graduate student you are likely supposed to figure most stuff out on your own, not be spoon-fed hints.

Ask your professors.
No information is as good as firsthand information, and I am sure they will gladly tell you if they prefer you asking questions during the lecture or approaching them during breaks in said lectures, visit them during office hours or drop an e-mail. They also may suggest you working out some of the answers on your own.
Actually, this is just a good communication practice overall. Ask people what they prefer and listen. Personally, I would definitely go with e-mails over a casual chat for questions, but that does not work equally well for everyone. Being considerate of different preferences never hurts.


text:
Is it still possible for me to get into a master's program in a quantitative field?
I am about to be a junior this Fall in college and I currently have a 2.6 GPA right now. I also don’t go to a very popular college and it’s located in the city. I have low grades and I am thinking about either getting into a masters program for applied statistics or maybe applied math. However, I might have no chance because I got a few C grades in my early math classes and I had to withdraw from Calculus 1 twice. I am also interested in economics and I have a B and B- in the first two economics classes so far. I understand that I screwed up bad but I am thinking about changing my life around. I have a total of 5 w grades and I am thinking about trying to at least get into a masters program for higher education as that I am thinking about pursuing a career in data science or possibly a consulting/financial field like quantitative analysis. I have a total of 5 w grades on my transcript so far and I don’t want to end up a failure. I just need brutal honesty. I am currently about to be a junior this Fall and if it’s not possible for me to get into a master’s program, what are some possible career choices for me? What else can I do? I don’t have internships yet but I am looking for some experience in the field so that I can get accepted later possibly. Are online master’s a good choice because I was just thinking about that. I also graduate in two years so does anyone have some advice for me?

Is this in the US? If not, where?

Your grades indicate something you want to pay attention to. Perhaps explore vocational school?

@Buzz, masters and doctoral admissions are very different.

Probably best to focus on what you can do to get your grades up. What's preventing you from doing better? Also think about what you want to do next...a master's program isn't a goal, it's a means to an end. What's the end game? What job do you want that needs a masters degree?


text:
Should I mention in my thesis that a live demonstration motivated me to implement an algorithm instead of others?
I am currently writing my bachelor thesis, in which I compare different algorithms for solving a specific problem to each other.
Since there are a lot of available published approaches, I did a literature review to choose algorithms relevant for me to implement.
In my thesis I would like to justify my choice of algorithms.
For one of these, I was convinced by a live demonstration on an exhibition-like event, where the algorithm was shown to perform reasonably well in real-time on the target platform.
My questions regarding this situation are

Does my personal, subjective experience with this algorithm justify its implementation?
If so, what would be the appropriate way to mention this in a thesis context?

I imagine this kind of question could also potentially be relevant to other types of theses or publications, which is why I chose the respective tags.

Yeah, definitely.
Comments on the reason you started work are totally appropriate in the introduction of a thesis and even make it a little less dry.  It makes it a little more of a narrative.  You still have to show all the dry results and analysis and all that.  But some minicum of storyline is actually a positive.
Actually even in a paper (where you are limited in format and space to concentrate more on results), some motivational comments in the intro are still totally in place in the introduction.  They set context, they help people.  In a thesis, even more scope is available and desired for explaining motivation (which gives contextual insights).  In science talks it is also very important (not just allowed) to show motivation (personal, economic, or social) in the intro.
I'm sure it is possible to overdo it, but in general, the issue is more the opposite (people not explaining personal motivation, inspiration from other researchers, economic motivations, etc. sufficiently).


text:
Advisor not responding to emails, conference fee deadline approaching
TL;DR:: My advisor, who is in charge of paying a conference paper registration fee, is nonresponsive and the deadline is approaching. What can I do?
I am working part-time in a research institute, which is running mostly from home-office right now.
Together with a professor and my institute supervisor we wrote a conference paper that was accepted in peer review, and the next deadline for the final submission is drawing close.
My advisor is the one responsible for the funding, and I talked to him (voice chat) about paying the registration fee. Afterwards, I have emailed him about other issues as well, for example me needing to get permission to enter the institute for paper-related things (need to update a plot etc.). I have not heard from him since around 3 weeks. He may very well be on vacation, but has not set up an away-message. He may or may not have forgotten about the deadline.
Question: How can I handle the registration fee deadline, without knowing whether my advisor will take care of it in time?
I see some options here:

Wait and do nothing about it, the problem might resolve itself
Escalate the problem and email either the professor, a higher-up or a different institute advisor who may know which steps to take
Pay the fee myself and hope it will be covered by the institute later

Note that in theory I could afford to temporarily cover the fee, but generally I would like to avoid it.

This question may very well be overly cautious but raising money from the institute may take some time.
I am aware of this related question about withdrawal due to funding, but I do not want to withdraw the paper.

Many conference organizers are well aware of how "organized" some advisors / faculty / university accounting departments are.
Contact them and if you can provide evidence that it will "eventually" be paid then they will usually accept that.


text:
Should I systematically mention my PI in the acknowledgements?
Assume you are a postdoc funded by Prof. X (PI) and publish a paper with Prof. Y but Prof. X is not an author. Should Prof. X be systematically mentioned in the acknowledgements ?

Yes, it would be very appropriate for you to mention them as they provided the funding that made the work possible.
In other situations it is likely obvious from your affiliation where the enabling funding comes from, but not in this one. It is beyond polite, probably necessary.

No, this is not strictly necessary.
It is typically necessary to acknowledge the funding that has made the work possible when this is not obvious from your affiliation. This often takes the for of a line like "This work was funded by (name of funding agency)'s (name of grant) grant number XXXXX." There is many possible (more verbose) variants, but in my experience it is not particularly common for this to mention the PI of the grant by name.
Of course, if the PI has provided some sort of feedback on the work, it could be very appropriate to acknowledge them for that.
In any case, the correct course of action is to ask Prof. X how your funding should be acknowledged. They will likely provide you with a sentence to include with all the correct grant numbers etc. If they insist on being named in that sentence, go with that.

But don't imply in acknowledging a grant funding source that YOU got the grant if it was your professor, rather than being indirectly funded through your professor. So, I disagree just a bit with this, though not "strictly" necessary is a judgement call.

In some journals/fields it's common to be explicit about who funding went through (i.e., the PI), usually with initials. In others it's becoming common to include all funding in a conflict of interest section, even from government and institutional sources.

@BryanKrause It is not surprising that there are field dependent differences here. In my field, I have yet to find examples of the PI of a grant being acknowledged.


text:
Who owns private non-profit universities?
Who owns (US) private non-profit universities ? I understand that being non-profit means that no one receives dividends. However does it mean that no one owns a private non-profit university? Can someone decide to sell a private non-profit university ?

While I agree with the answers as given, one way to think about it is that such universities "own themselves". There are some legal requirements that bind such things, of course. The Board of Directors (or equivalent) act on behalf of the organization and are, themselves, bound to act in its interests (morally and usually legally).

Who owns (US) private non-profit universities?

In the United States, no one "owns" a non-profit. Rather, non-profits are administered by a board of directors. It's possible that this board consists only of one person; this is the closest you can come to being the "owner" of a non-profit.

Can someone decide to sell a private non-profit university?

Yes, but what would you with the proceeds? After liabilities are paid, a defunct nonprofit must transfer its assets to another nonprofit or to the Government. In particular, the board could not pocket the proceeds personally. Thus, a viable nonprofit is more likely to talk of "merging itself" with another nonprofit (i.e., dissolving itself and transferring its assets -- and possibly its leadership / philosophy -- to another nonprofit) rather than being "sold."
The situation is essentially the same for public non-profits, except that many public universities are governed by specific legislation. For example, Article IX of the Constitution of the State of California states that the University of California will be a "public trust, to be administered by the existing corporation known as 'The Regents of the University of California' with full powers of organization and government." Thus, the University of California could not sell itself entirely (or otherwise dissolve itself) without a constitutional amendment. It could sell one or more of its campuses; however, it would be required by state law to follow a competitive bidding procedure. And again, the board could not personally profit from this sale.

State laws set the minimum number of Board members. 3 is most common.

True, but some states (including California) do allow only 1. Federally, you do have to apply for an exemption to get 501(c)(3) status with only one director, however.

Right. The private/public distinction is more about who has a right to appoint the board (the prior board members vs. the legislature or it’s representatives) than anything else.

Correct on the point about federal law requiring 3 but having a clause for exemption. In practice, I have never seen this 1 bd member exemption carried out. It would certainly invite quite a bit of scrutiny.

There are a range of possible legal structures that can be used for a non-profit organisation.  Some non-profit organisations are non-stock corporations, some are private companies limited by shares, some are other types of incorporated associations, and some are run through trusts.  The particular corporate/trust structure can vary, so you would need to look at each non-profit univeristy on a case-by-case basis.  The taxation rules for exempt organisations (including non-profits and other types) are set out in Sections 501-530 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 US Code, Subchapter F).    An exempt organisation can include an organisation "...organized and operated exclusively for ... educational purposes..." (s 501(c)(3)) if it meets the exemption requirements; organisations falling within this section are non-profits.  Section 503 of the Code removes the tax-exempt status of the organisation for a period if it engages in a "prohibited transaction", which can include certain sales of securities or property.
Depending on the underlying legal structure, there will be mechanisms by which positions in the organisation can be transferred from one holder to another (e.g., transfer of shares, transfer of other appointments, etc.), and a mechanism to wind the organisation up entirely.  However, the non-profit status of the organisation usually requires that its controllers cannot obtain a financial benefit for shares in the organisation, so it would usually not be allowable to "sell" shares in the organisation for consideration.  What would usually happen instead is that any sales of property in the organisation would need to be applied to its objective, which is for educational purposes.
This is all quite a complex area of corporate/organisational law, equity/trusts, and taxation law, so take my answer with a grain of salt.  To get a specific understanding of the rules for a particular non-profit university you would need to find out its underlying legal structure and the relevant laws that apply to non-profit organisations of that kind in the particular jurisdiction(s) it is in.

What is this nonsense about nonprofit “shares”? Not a thing. Or if so, an edge case that I have not encountered in my 15 years of scholarship and practice in this area.

"There are a range of possible legal structures": The ones I checked are all 501(c)(3).

@NateEldredge: My understanding is that a 501(c)(3) is not a legal structure; rather, a corporation, trust, or other structure may qualify for tax exemption under section 501(c)(3). These are often referred to as "501(c)(3) organizations."

@cag51 the reason “trusts” are on that list is that 501(c)3 designation is also applied to private foundations. However, the additional requirements placed on PFs by the IRS would make that an unsuitable structure for a university. This is why universities often have separately incorporated private foundations to do their fundraising.

And you are all correct: the legal structure is a corporation (this answer says “private company” which is not specific enough to be meaningful) and the tax designation is exempt under regulation 510(c)3.

@Dawn: My understanding is that non-profit corporations limited by shares are allowed in some US states, but rarely used; so it is an "edge case".  So unless I am mistaken, it is a thing.

Do you have a specific citation in mind that led you to this understanding?

@Dawn: Well, for example, there are a few states that allow non-profit corporations operating on a stock-share basis (see e.g., 15 PA Cons Stat § 5752 (2014) in Pennsylvania).  More importantly, since the onus is on the person asserting prohibition, do you have any citation from 501(c)(3) or other law that would universally prohibit a corporation limited by stock from becoming a non-profit?

I am assuming that exists for co-ops. The question is not about who can own a university in some edge case scenario. It is about who does own universities.

So not at all nonsense, as you previously asserted.  Rather than trying to move the goalposts, perhaps you could just retract your previous incorrect comment and concede that this is a thing after all.

It is not a thing for universities. The question is about universities. Universities are not co-ops.

You're going to tell me you know the ownership structure of every private university in the US?  Show me your evidence that none of them are structured by incorporation by shares.


text:
How to find all references for URL
I want to find all the papers that have cited a specific URL (which is in my case http://sable.github.io/soot/, https://github.com/soot-oss/soot, etc).
I tried searching those in Google scholar, Microsoft academic, etc but failed to find useful information.
How can I do that?


text:
Would it be necessary to justify in my SOP, a course which I had withdrawn?
Our university has the option where a student can withdraw from a course within the first month from the commencement of the course. This would lead to 'W' grade and is generally not equated with a 'Fail' grade. I took a course in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course and had to withdraw from it as I could not manage the workload due to several other courses which were somewhat difficult. I later decided to take a Machine Learning (ML) course next semester and have cleared that course. I have later taken few MOOCs too in this field, but only after graduating.
Now I wish to apply for an MS in CS preferably in Canada or US as an International Student. I wish to pursue AI/ML specialization or at least mention in my SOP that I have a strong inclination towards this field. Should I be explaining the course withdrawal which can be noticed in my transcripts?

No, it is not necessary to justify the W on your transcript; however, it could be useful to address it indirectly.

I took a course in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Course and had to withdraw from it as I could not manage the workload due to several other courses which were somewhat difficult.

Self-assessing your limits is a valuable skill. You withdrew from one course in order to meet your learning goals in others, which is a responsible response to a high workload.

I have later taken few MOOCs too in this field, but only after graduating.

This is the type of thing that you might consider emphasizing in your SoP, rather than dwelling on past negative experiences (especially if other areas of study are not present on a transcript).
In short, you should use your SoP to highlight your strengths and explain why shortcomings (or perceived shortcomings) of the past will not be an issue in your future studies.

If this is the sort of thing you focus your SoP on you are making a big mistake - missing an opportunity. Your SoP should be about the future; your plans, goals, and how you intent to achieve them. Wasting words on 'splaining old stuff won't get you accepted. The CV and transcripts are about the past. The SoP is about the future. Only bring up the past for things that directly and emphatically support the future.
If asked about the W, be prepared to give an honest explanation, but things that sound like apologies for things you consider missteps needn't be brought up proactively. If you think you are qualified, say that somewhere, though the SoP has a different purpose.

Regarding your point 'If asked about the W, be prepared to give an honest explanation' .. Does it mean that the university to which i have applied to might come back with questions instead of straightaway saying an accept or reject?

No, you don't need to explain this as it's just a single course on your transcript. It's pretty common to have one W; it does not reflect badly on a student unless it's multiple courses over multiple semesters.


text:
Is it good idea to mention the names of the professors in a Statement of Purpose?
I am applying for a a Master's in Computer science at United States as an International Student. If I mention the names of a couple of professors of the university in my SOP, and indicate that I find their research interesting, would it be helpful since it indicates I have done some research about the university?
Or can it backfire as it is just a single line in the SOP and thus it might appear I am just trying to impress the admission committee?

It probably has no effect. But see some of the "related" questions in the sidebar for more guidance on SoP.

Here's my view on it, this is working out to be a situation where you are overthinking. I don't think any university would consider that you were "sucking up" to them.

indicate that I find their research interesting, would it be helpful since it indicates I have done some research about the university?

Yes if you say that I found Mr/Ms/Mrs. x's research interesting they will just think that you are interested in their university. In some cases they would appreciate you taking interest and would be more likely to accept your application

backfire as it is just a single line in the SOP and thus it might appear I am just trying to impress the admission committee?

Even if they showed some mild distaste at what you wrote, they won't go to such extreme measures as of rejecting your application.
Hope this helped.

Fine, but don't address people with PhDs as Mr, Mrs or Miss.

Ok thanks but could you clarify why I shouldn't do that

Because if they have worked for 4+ years to gain a respected title, it is rude (and in fact, simply incorrect) not to use it. This tends to affect women disproportionately to men (i.e. men with PhDs get called Dr whereas women get called Mrs/Miss, implicitly devaluing their achievements). The same applies to using Professor.

I see, thank you.

I would not do it, but that could be just me.  I think it would feel like name-dropping.  Better to talk about the strengths in the department that you feel are a match for your interests and goals as a way of explaining why you're applying to their program, not somewhere else.


text:
Too much Non-PhD-related work at research institute, unclear if contract requires it
I am currently pursuing a PhD while being employed at a research institute as a doctoral candidate in Germany.
I have a supervisor at the institution and a professor at university who I have meetings with.
In my day-to-day business at the institution, I feel heavily held back by the amount of non-PhD-related work I am given. There are two projects managed by coworkers of mine and I am expected to participate in weekly update meetings, where I am given tasks and associated deadlines to finish them. The amount of work is in the range of 20h/week, but sometimes higher (and also includes uncomfortable circumstances like working early and/or late). My research institution has a reputation of 'burning' PhD candidates, and apparently several people have quit over the amount of non-PhD-related work.
Currently, I have managed to get ahead in one of the projects, but for the other project I am supposedly months behind schedule despite putting in more than enough hours. This could of course be related to project management or my performance, but in my opinion should not hinder me in pursuing my PhD either way. Regardless, after finishing one task for a project I almost immediately get assigned a new, urgent task.
I am very unhappy with the situation. Both my PhD and my project work suffer from the lack of time or high amount of work. My PhD does not benefit from the project work in any way, although this was what I was promised when I was hired. Because of this, I am also wondering whether I am actually required to work this much on these projects.
My contract (names changed/omitted) states:

[Mister Schwarz] verpflichtet sich, seine gesamte Arbeitskraft für die Bearbeitung des wissenschaftlichen Vorhabens einzusetzen. Hierfür wird die betriebsübliche regelmäßige Arbeitszeit vereinbart. Als Arbeitszeit gelten auch die Teilnahme an Vorlesungen und Seminaren sowie Bibliotheksbesuche, soweit diese in unmittelbarem Zusammenhang mit der Erstellung der Doktorarbeit stehen.
Die Hälfte der für die Bearbeitung des wissenschaftlichen Vorhabens erbrachten Arbeitszeit gilt als Arbeitsleistung für [Research institute]. Hierfür wird eine monatliche Vergütung in Höhe von 50 v.H. der Entgeldgruppe 13 des TVöD gezahlt.

The english translation provided by them is

[Mr Schwarz] undertakes to devote his entire working capacity to processing the scientific
project. The regular working time customary at the Institute is agreed for this purpose. Working
time is defined as including the attendance of lectures and seminars as well as visiting libraries,
insofar as these are directly related to the preparation of the doctoral thesis.
Half of the working time spent on processing the scientific project is considered work performed
on behalf of the [Research institution]. Monthly remuneration of 50 percent of pay group 13 of
the TVöD shall be paid for this purpose.

No clear definition of the 'scientific project' or 'wissenschaftliches Vorhaben' is given, although in previous sections the PhD is mentioned. From my understanding, the contract seems to specifically exclude non-PhD-related work in my working time. (I don't even have time to attend lectures or seminars).

My questions are:

From the contract excerpt, am I required to perform 50% of working time corresponding to 20h/week of project work? Or am I required to work full-time on my PhD, which would have been my original interpretation?
Following this, how can I enforce a limitation of 50% or 0% project work? How do I communicate this to my institute supervisor and the project managers responsible for the meetings and so on?
Should I involve my university supervisor in the communication?
Should I talk to the HR department of the institute about the contract interpretation? Could they help me resolve the situation?

I realize this might also be relevant to workplace.SE, but I chose to post it here since similar related questions were already asked in this SE: a question about unrelated lab work at university instead of working on a PhD, lab promotion and student supervision at university and data analysis for coworker projects without gaining authorship. My situation differs in that I do not have a teaching responsibility or any other university employment and the contract seems to specifically exclude non-PhD-related work in my working time.

I am getting paid half of TVöD Entgeltgruppe 13, so paid like a 50% position.

May I ask if you're posting this under your real name? (I'd recommend against doing this for questions of this type.)

@JochenGlueck it's a fake name, but thank you!

I am surprised this is legal. So they can write a contract that says that you must work 40 hours and they pay 20, and get away with it... In any case, the "wissenschaftliches Vorhaben" is the doctoral work, which should have been defined somewhere else in the contract. You may try to ask your professor if he has positions at the university and if you can switch to that: a colleague of mine did just that for just your reasons.

You should contact the Personalrat and/or Mittelbauvertretung, who can help you with how to read your contract. From the excerpt it is difficult to tell. Being employed for a 50%-position is common when doing a PhD, but then whatever you do in "the other 50%" (i. e. work on your dissertation) should not be part of the contract.

@wimi There's no obligation to be paid a salary for doing a PhD: Everyone is free to prepare a PhD thesis is their spare time and hand it in at a university - and it is not uncommon e.g. in humanities. In that light, paying people a 50% contract can be seen as a positive thing. (Not that this is my point of view, but there is some truth to it. Also note that postdocs are being paid 100% in the same salary category, so it is natural that PhD students get less: In practive, this is realized by decreasing the percentage of employment rather than creating a separate salary category.)

@user151413 yes, but if we are talking about "preparing a PhD thesis in your spare time", the contract should not be allowed to force you for your entire working time. The contract should say that you work for 20 hours and you decide what you do with your spare time...

The 50% position is typically for work on a funded project that may or may not be related to your PhD project. It is reasonable for your employer to expect you to work on that project in return for the salary. It is not reasonable if you are spending substantially more than 50% on that project.
As is almost always true for conflicts with students or postdocs, the correct answer (regardless of question) is "Talk to your adviser". The HR department or any other component of your institution can not possibly come up with a solution to your problem that does not involve your adviser in some way. As a consequence, rather than going to the higher ups and then making them come tell your adviser about it, you might as well do as suggested: Talk to your adviser about the problem. They need to be part of the solution anyway, you might as well involve them right away and in a friendly context.


text:
How can I enable productive online meetings with my supervisor?
I am currently writing my master's thesis. My advisor is very busy, and I reckon he will allocate about 1-3 hours a month to actively supervise me, at least in the near future. Due to the ongoing pandemic, our communication takes place via short e-mails and video conferencing. Because of this, I would like to ask about ways to communicate with my supervisor in a productive way.
My impression in the last meeting was that a high-level, conceptual communication would be appropriate. While this could change when my thesis works gets more in-depth, I feel that I need to consider the implication of hands-off supervision where my supervisor will not at all times be up-to-date with my current state.
What I have been doing so far:

Summarized our meeting and its outcome in an e-mail
For the last meeting, I prepared slides to show my impressions from literature review, which I also e-mailed
Presented interesting approaches on a high level (general method, outcome, my brief opinion)
For the next meeting, I have set up a doodle to choose a date. I have also given key points for an outline of what I would like to discuss

Since the approaches are very different from each other and there are a lot of them, it is hard to actually break down key elements of them and compare them without going into depth (for me at least). Because I would like the online meetings to be as productive as possible, I am asking for ways to prepare and hold good meetings with my supervisor.
Questions:

How can I prepare a video meeting in a way that will enable my supervisor to understand my line of thought, and be informed enough to give advise?
What are good ways to present a wide range of methods from a top-level view?
How can I make good use of the video conferencing format, as opposed to a real-life meeting?
If you are a student: What ways to present information to your supervisor have been successful?
If you are an advisor or similar: What do your students do to enable productive and successful online meetings? What is not helpful?

In contrast to other questions on this site, I am not dissatisfied with the amount of supervision I get. I am also specifically asking about video meetings, which make communication harder (e.g. taking turns speaking) but also potentially enable new ways of collaboration (such as screen sharing or meeting people from different locations).
This related question and its answers discuss a hands-on-situation where the advisor takes more time and goes into detail. In terms of productivity, it is suggested for the student to take initiative which I think I'm already doing.
In an answer to a previous question of mine, among other things it was suggested I send update mails to enable my advisor to get an idea of what I'm currently working on.
If this question is too open, please let me know so I can narrow it down. This would make everything more specific, but I think would be less valuable to others facing similar problems.


text:
How hard is the comprehensive examination based masters in Computer Science?
I wish to apply for an MS in computer science in the United States as an international student. I see that some universities (UC San Diego) provide either a thesis track or a comprehensive exam track for the MS programme. I can see that it is mentioned that there are limited attempts to take the comprehensive exam which takes place at the end of the degree program, failing which a student would be deregistered from the programme. I am somewhat new to this concept of comprehensive exam as it is absent in my country. While I understand that it is University specific, can the comprehensive exam based Masters Programme be challenging due to the examination at the end which decides whether the student is qualified to graduate.

I took comprehensive exams and remember them to be quite difficult.  However, I get the impression that every school makes their own exams - there is no "standard" comprehensive exam.  So maybe one school is hard and the other easy.
It is a high-stakes exam because there are limited attempts.  I remember when sitting for my comprehensive exams seeing students I did not know.  That was scary because it meant that these students had failed the comps the first time around.  Being that they had otherwise finished the program they went on with their lives and came back to take another swing at passing the exam and getting their degree.  That was not a position I wanted to be in.
As an international student, traveling back to university at a future time after your studies have formally ended may be even more difficult than for a domestic student.  The border guards may/may not understand retaking comprehensive exams.
You should be aware going in that failure is always a possibility.
I was happy to have passed my comprehensive exams.  When time was called, I had not even read all of the questions and I was dead tired (the exam lasted all day).  But evidently I had read and answered enough of the questions to pass.


text:
How good is an 18 month Masters in Computer Science?
I have plans to apply for a Masters in computer science in the United States as an international student. I see that some universities (Stony Brook etc.) have masters program which can be completed within 18 months or so. While the tuition fee can be cheaper compared to a 24-month masters, do such masters program have any drawbacks when it comes to applying for jobs/OPT or working with faculty for a project?
It appears to me that the students are expected to complete the credits within 3 semesters which can be relatively hard and considering the fact that international students can stay without a job for at most 3 months after completing degree requirements, it might have drawbacks in career aspects as well.

A MS in the US doesn't have a national definition. It is defined by the individual university (or university system). So, the time to completion of the degree gives you almost no information about its quality.
Since Stony Brook is highly reputable (one of the top two state universities in New York) I'd expect that education there to be high quality.
It is also possible that some such programs don't break for the summer, so it could possibly be 18 months without any long breaks. And even a "24" month degree is more like 21 in reality.
Use other criteria to judge quality. Both the recognized reputation of the university and the actual courses in any given program.
And, like most students, an international student must also figure out their next steps after completion and take some actions toward acquiring a job or another degree. The time to completion isn't relevant here either.
What might be relevant, is how hard you need to work. But that is true at any top level institution for any degree.


text:
Is a 1000+ word Statement of Purpose too lengthy?
I plan to apply for an MS in CS in the United States as an international student. While some universities provide guidance on the Statement of Purpose word limit, I can see that most don't. In such a case if my Statement of Purpose is 1000-1200 words and ends up spanning 1.5-2 pages, can that be somewhat lengthy to read?

A Statement of Purpose should clearly convey why the program would benefit your career or something similar. If it is unnecessarily long, that decreases clarity.

If somebody can't read it and get the critical information from it in 30 seconds or less, then it's too long.  That means the critical information should be in 150 words, not 1000. Anything more than 150 is just "nice to know stuff" that won't be read at all if the first 150 words puts it on the "reject" pile.

I would not exceed 1000 words. Honestly, you should avoid going over one page. 500-750 words is the range I would aim for. An MS in CS is not going to be a program that will be enthralled by lengthy prosaic statements of purpose.
As someone who has read many applications, brevity is much preferred. At the very least, a long statement of purpose gets skimmed, whereas a short one gets fully read. I have never seen a statement of purpose longer than one page that changed my mind towards acceptance because of its length.
Unless the university specifically asks for a longer statement of purpose, I would keep it somewhat short.

There is almost never a need for a statement of purpose to be this long. By aggressive editing -- rephrasing and deleting -- you should be able to cut the essay down to 800-900 words without sacrificing any actual content. The resulting essay will be better not only because shortness is inherently good, but also because removing the superfluous words produces a more mature writing style.
The trouble with saying "almost never" is that everyone thinks that they are the exception to the rule. But, most people who think this are wrong.


text:
Contents of the CV for master's application
I am applying as an international student for master's in computer science at the United States. I am preparing my CV for the application and I have mentioned my academic and work experience.
Should i mention my goal/objective in the CV mentioning why I wish to pursue the master's? Or is it sufficient if it is contained in the SOP?
Further is it fine if I just mention the title of a project/Internship? Since it is a major change, it seems to be irrelevant to an MS in CS for which i am applying to.

No, put that in your statement of purpose.  Your CV is a resume of what you've already done, not what you hope to do in the future. A CV is commonly much longer than a regular job resume because academics will list all their publications, patents, invited talks, awards, funding grants, etc. Really no limit as long as it happened.  The only things a CV should not contain are paths not taken (e.g., accepted into a program you decided not to attend) and stuff not yet done or happening now.
Your goals and and how you hope to get there belong in your SOP, the point of which is to be future-oriented, explaining what they should expect if they admit you.  (Avoid clichés of having been interested in computers since childhood.)

And also avoid the opposite error of using the SoP to make excuses for anything in the past. The past speaks for itself. As the writer here says: the SoP is future-oriented.

In physics, I have see lines on some CVs like "Won X fellowship [declined]". I personally prefer your advice of "a CV should not contain are paths not taken", but at least in some fields this does happen.

@Andrew Yes, it happens, especially among those without many actual accomplishments to list.  Don't do it.  It's not a good look.


text:
Should I (assistant professor) call undergraduates by first name or Mr/Ms
There are lots of questions about how undergrads should address professors, but this is about the opposite. Context is North American research university.
My instinct and personal preference is to ask undergraduates to address me as Professor Lastname or Dr. Lastname until I let them know otherwise. And I have no problem with explicitly saying this in my syllabus for a class.
But then sometimes I think "actually why aren't I addressing students as Mr./Ms./Mx/(or some honorofic) Lastname".
Should I do so? Do you do so?

You are overthinking on this. Calling as "Mr. X" is a plus. I am a lecturer and I call without any salutation.

The only time I ever hear "Mister" used in the U.S. these days are primary and secondary teachers and "Mr. President."

It is disrespectful to demand more respect from your (adult!) students than you give them. So you should either both go my first name or both by last name. At least this is true in by culture (Central Europe) - I would think it is the same in Northern America.
So, unless it is a cultural thing everyone does in your area to call younger people by their first name, by respectful and call them as you want to be called.

You say "either both go by first name or both by last name" and then " at east this is true in "..Central Europe. Does that mean you've seen both of these practices in Central Europe? And you don't often see the asymmetric situation that I describe?

Yes, I've seen both practices in Central Europe. I've seen the asymetric situation here at most once or twice; and it always was very weird for the involved students. (However, I cannot say it would also be very weird for American students.)

Not answering as I am teaching in Europe, but yeah - if you expect your students to call you Prof. X then referring to them by first name in turn seems rude to me. Consistency is key.

@user80636 Can I ask, how do you know it was very weird for the students? Were you such a student? Or are you a teacher and a student told you/intimated that it was weird?

@xLeitix Are you able to pinpoint why it feels rude? Because presumably every culture has honorifics used acceptably in some context? (Or do you disagree with all titles?) My point is that in the military the captain is called "Captain". And at church, you call the reverend "Reverend" etc. etc.

As a European, I would find it condescending to be addressed as Mr Surname by someone in a position of "authority" in an informal situation. Surnames communicate a sense of distance and only get used when you're being told off. However, I come from quite an informal department where it would be unusual to address most staff by their titles too, so this is probably a cultural thing.

I give students the option to call me by my first name or as "Mr. Lastname".  In turn, I address students by their first name.  Context: I'm a lecturer in engineering at a public school in North America.
One consideration that has not been brought up here: it is hard for me to reconcile gender fluidity with English honorifics.  That is, while I might presume a student is a mister, that student might see themselves as a miss (or some convex combination of the two).  In light of this, I have sharply decreased how often I use Mr/Ms.

A+ for trans-inclusive planning :)

In North American universities, I've seen both approaches used, so there's no "definitive" answer to this question. Just do what makes you most comfortable.

Have you really?  I have never in my life seen any faculty member address students as Mr or Ms.

@NateEldredge: This was in my undergraduate days (mid-90's). Probably it's fallen out of fashion, but I wouldn't object as a student.

My feeling is that today it would come across as eccentric.

It would be, outside of engineering, where things are a little more traditional.

I have also never seen a professor who routinely addresses students as Mr./Ms/Mx, but I can believe it.

How does the student sign off their own email? Although students differ in what they write, often by cultural background, this is their opportunity to hint at what they'd like to be called, and I think it's fair game, and even good manners, to use this. For instance, many Chinese students adopt an English name for convenience, and transgender students may have chosen an alternative name from the one they enrolled with.
So if they use their first name only, or indicate a preferred name clearly by some other means, then it's reasonable to use that in response.
If a more complex name or title is used in the sign-off then I tend to be more formal, often using the full name in the order given to avoid assumption of given name vs family name (since order various by culture, and the student may have reversed it to what they think is expected, etc).

I've seen this "rule" cited in various answers to similar questions on this site and elsewhere but I really don't believe it exists. It is overly formal, even bad taste, to use your own title in a letter. So even if I expect to be addressed as Professor Lastname, I wouldn't sign off with it. The vibe of formal letter writing tends to be overly deferent to the person you are addressing. So you say "Dear Esteemed Colleague..X... Your humble friend, _Y" and then they do the mirror image of that. They don't say "Humble Y,......, Your Esteemed colleague X"

@T_M it's not a rule, just a principle I tend to use myself. If a student signs off just with their first name I use that. If they use a full name I address them by their full name unless I'm sure how to address them more formally (Mr ...). That helps when dealing with students from other cultures for whom I can't be sure of which part is family name, etc.

Also, titles can be awkward since they often imply gender, and I have to be careful to avoid this for some of my transgender students.

@T_M I've updated to be a bit clearer on these points.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/