text:
As a junior researcher, should I pay my own article processing charge for career reasons?
I am a researcher a few years out of PhD competing in a field where there are very few jobs. I have a sole author paper coming out which received very good reviews.
The journal is Hybrid Open Access, meaning an Article Processing Charge (APC) must be paid if I choose to publish Open Access (otherwise, it will appear behind a paywall). Due to a change in rules in my country, which occurred after I submitted to the journal, the journal is no longer eligible for APC funding from my institution or grant.
Should I consider paying my own APC to ensure that my paper gets the most amount of attention possible? I do not want the lack of OA to be an obstacle for readers and, at this stage in my career, it is pivotal that this work receives attention, citations, etc.
So far the paper, which has not yet come out, has generated some interest. 5-6 colleagues already e-mailed asking me for a copy. The journal is a not top tier but senior colleagues have assured me that it is very well-respected as a small journal, and in our field a good paper is often much more important than a good journal. One of the reviewers actually asked for their identity to be disclosed so that they could congratulate me on the paper, keep in touch, and advise me to "aim much higher than this journal in future - aim right for the top". I do not have a lot of money but could sacrifice a couple of years of holidays for this. I am really desperate to build a competitive CV before my postdoc finishes.

Are you the only author of the paper?

If the journal is hybrid open access, then there's an option to publish non-open access, which would remove the APC.

@Snijderfrey yes, I am the sole author. Added edit to main post.

Are you allowed to share a preprint of your paper in a way that people can easily google it? (In my corner of academia the answer is essentially always yes.) If so, open access will make very little difference to the visibility of your result. "I do not have a lot of money but could sacrifice a couple of years holidays for this maybe..." This would be an absolutely insane thing to do and it is not difficult to guess that you will end up being very bitter and unhappy about it if you make a significant personal sacrifice like this but it will turn out not to have much of an effect on anything.

"The journal is Hybrid Open Access, meaning an Article Processing Charge (APC) must be paid." Could you clarify if this means that the APC applies only if you choose to publish with open access? That's what I assumed in my answer.

@Anyon Good point. Yes, APC is only applicable if you choose the OA option. Otherwise it comes out behind the paywall. Will edit the question.

One way to reason about this is to ask: What is the expected utility to yourself of having the paper published under an open access license? Is it really larger than the utility of keeping that money for some other purpose, or spending it on something else? Do you expect the possibly slightly higher expected number of citations to have tangible career effects that offset the cost of paying the APC? (Note that there is some controversy in the literature regarding the citation advantage and its magnitude, so I'd suggest using a conservative number in your estimates.)
I'd argue that this is unlikely, especially if you can make use of green open access options as outlined in the other answers and comments, or sending the article directly to those interested. The next consideration would be the expected utility to the readership. Given that researchers are familiar with how to access green OA articles, one might surmise that the benefit would mainly be to the public. Unless your work is of significant public interest, there are likely more effective charitable causes to spend a couple of thousands on, even if you were personally wealthy.

While I fully agree with your answer on moral grounds I fear that if OP chooses not to pay the fee that means they have to retract their paper from the journal and then need to find a new journal where they can submit their paper without fees. The paper seems sufficiently good so that this will be successful but it can easily take another year and this delay in publication could easily cause more harm to their career than the minor difference between officially open access and pay-to-read publication.

@quarague I thought that "Hybrid Open Access" meant that the journal has a mix of articles, some open, some not. The author can choose whether to pay the APC to make their submission open access, or pay nothing and have the result restricted to subscribers. Is that not how it works?

@TooTea If that is how it works, then my fear is unfounded. I don't know the exact details of the journal rules either.

No. Open Access is a relatively new concept enabled by the internet that is still having the bugs (like your problem) being worked out. Most researchers have some way to get access to paid-access articles, and their citations are just as good (if not better). As long as the journal allows it, do submit to ArXiv, ResearchGate, or whatever your field's repository is, and feel free tell people at conferences that you can send them a copy (again, as long as the journal allows it, but I'm not aware of any that forbid individual distribution). If you had enough personal wealth it could be OK, but in that case you would not be asking. Nobody will think worse of you personally or professionally for not paying for OA.

Short answer: NO!
Long answer: No, you have several alternatives.

If the journal is hybrid open access, you can (as allure pointed out), just not opt-in open access and you will not need to pay. This may limit article visibility, but keep in mind that interested readers can ask you a pdf of the paper and you are authorized to post an unedited version of the manuscript on sharing sites such as ResearchGate. I suggest you double-check journal policies, but some publishers explicitly authorize sharing of Author's Original Manuscript. (https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/research-impact/sharing-versions-of-journal-articles/).
As leonos pointed out, you may ask to the publisher for a fee waiver. It is not uncommon that journals waive fees in case you cannot pay. However, this often requires that you do not acknowledge any grant, otherwise they will tell you to use grant money to pay.

I don't know the journal nor your field, but if your judgement is that it will enhance your career, then yes, consider paying the fee if you are able. Such things are pretty expensive, though.
However, longer term, make sure you understand the consequences (financial and otherwise) of submitting to any journal you consider; both the reputation and the fees. Make sure you are comfortable with that before you submit. If any thing feels like a negative, such as cost in this case, consider a different venue. And, if rules are subject to change, you might need to try to get a commitment from the institution on fees before you submit. They have an interest in your work, just as you do.
If you were caught after submission by a change in rules, you might be able to make an appeal to your institution to cover at least a part of the fees.  You will need to appeal to someone in authority, of course. You might also try, maybe with low likelihood of success, to ask the journal for a reduction in fees, based on the change of rules after submission.

"if your judgement is that it will enhance your career, then yes, consider paying the fee if you are able." I think part of the question is that the OP is not sure to what extent this will enhance their career, so encouraging the OP to rely on their judgment is not great advice here imo.

@AdamPřenosil, my reading is different. The OP recognizes the value and is specifically asking about the money. And, I don't want to substitute my judgement for theirs. A minor paper might not be worth paying for. This one has "generated interest".

I am a marketing consultant with decades of experience in publishing, so I have a slightly different vantage point. I agree with all the advice of those who say no to paying OA fees yourself. More ideas to add to the other 'No' commenters.
OA has been around for over 20 years, so I wouldn't say new, but yes, it is constantly evolving (and confusing!) such as your funders policy change. Consider your own institution's metrics for research evaluation. If it all cones down to citations, 'everyone' doesn't need access, but those most likely to cite do. There are many ways to get visibility for your work, at no cost to you...some ideas are below..
There is evidence that publishing OA gets more opportunity for views and downloads earlier and possibly earlier citations, but consider the nature of the audience most likely to cite your work. Are they likely to be at subscribing institutions to that journal? How much relevance to the science interested public (who benefit from reading, but won't be helping with citations, though if your institution looks for other metrics of impact this may be relevant) or researchers in Middle / low income countries?
Since you've gotten early peer reviews, perhaps just depositing your author approved final version on your institutional repository and reaching out to the network of most interested research groups pointing them to the free access link is sufficient to attract early citations.
Explore every avenue for sources of 'gold OA' funding (immediately available on journal platform) to all if there is a wide interdisciplinary audience.
Talk to the research subject librarian at your institution. They will probably recommend depositing the authors approved files on the institutional repository. Include the DOI and ask the librarian about discoverabity on the institutional. Repository and promote that link.
Talk to your department chair, and ask the peers who have given you strong reviews for ideas on sources of funding OA fees. Do also go back to your funder to verify due to the timing and their policy change.
If you are in a Low / Middle income country the fees may be waived if the publisher participates in the Research for Life program, as an example.
Consider going 'green OA' open access after journal embargo period, depending on journal and field this may vary. If in medical, does the publisher deposit on PubMed on your behalf and when?
Consider writing a Plain Language Summary and posting on Kudos (free to academics I think and partners with institutions and publishers.... Most people just want to read the abstract anyway...
https://libguides.stir.ac.uk/kudos/explain
You can also create a graphical abstract to share on your web site/socials... Dr Andrew M Ibrahim has many free resources on research communication and preparing a visual abstract that apply to any discipline  https://www.surgeryredesign.com/

Just one point that hasn't been mentioned in the other answers so far: Your write

I do not have a lot of money but could sacrifice a couple of years of holidays for this.

Academics tend to be over-worked and to have a very unhealthy work-life balance. It might be better for your productivity and thus for your career advancement (let alone for your personal well-being) if you spend the money on holidays instead of open access charges.

I ran into the exact same problem recently when I discovered my funding organisation would not pay for a Hybrid Open Access Journal APC, after the article was published.
Try contacting the journal and explaining your situation. I got the open access fees waived (50% discount). Also your university might have a special fund to fill the gaps, so make sure you ask them for help.

I would say yes, it allows for publications to appear quicker and easier, freeing up more time for research, and quickly progressing your career (if you have the money). Lots of excellent high impact factor journals have APC's, and if your institute won't pay, you can bite the bullet and pay yourself, though I've seen $4000 for example required in some cases (usually more like $1500 though). I can't afford it so haven't done this so far.
Try to avoid those journals if possible, though they are looking to accept your paper easier I think given the profit from it. But these days if it helps you improve your c.v., reasonable minds could agree that this is a worthwhile expense in some cases.

"quickly progressing your career" [citation required]

I suppose it just makes publication a bit easier, so you can move a bit faster.

You wrote that the APC would require to "sacrifice a couple of years holidays". A general advice for success in any business or relationship: Never act desperate even if you are!

This is questionable life advice, but also it does not answer OP's question (should they pay APC fees out of their own pocket?).

The principle is not so much "never act desperate" (who is even going know that the OP "acts desperate"?), it is "do not sacrifice an important tangible thing for an entirely speculative possibly-maybe benefit of uncertain magnitude in the future".

@AdamPřenosil The OP wrote "I am really desperate".


text:
What are the potential benefits and pitfalls of leaving tenth grade early to pursue an internship at a prominent research lab?
I'm a tenth grader in high school and I'm passionate about my research in computational neuroscience. I'm in a unique situation, and I'm wondering whether I should leave tenth grade early this year to accept a research position for four months at a leading university.
I am a deep thinker and am profoundly miserable because my present educational environment isn't intellectually stimulating, growth oriented, and I'm worried I'm not accessing my potential. Because of this, I'm going to be leaving high school next year and hoping to attend the visiting students program at a nearby college. I don't think not being in traditional high school will be a hindrance to my college admissions; on the contrary I think what I do outside of school will boost my candidacy.
I've recently been offered a research-internship position at a lab at: Cornell, Princeton, Oxford, and Rockefeller. If I wanted to attend any one of them I'd need to leave high school early this year.
This is an extraordinary opportunity which will take me to new and incredible places and I don't want to let my schooling interfere with my education. I am positive leaving school is the right choice. Of course there are considerations but I've taken them into account; I'm not afraid of being unconventional.
Just to be clear, I'm wondering whether I should leave for the last two months of tenth grade. Secondly, I'm going to attend a visiting students program at an Ivy League University next year which is designed for high school students to attend in lieu of traditional HS.
Are there other benefits or possible pitfalls I should be taking into account?
Edit: Thank you all for your guidance which is helping me see the situation more clearly.

http://simons-rock.edu/  There is a college for people like you.  It's called Simon's Rock.

Tell them you were referred by an alumus (me) and I think you get a scholarship.

Clarkson University has a program called The Clarkson School, which takes in high-school age students as well. Clarkson is a small research institution that is an amazing place for people looking to make a push into the technical fields, and the predominant majority of its research is by undergraduates.

Viz. what I'll be working on – I'll be working on something real. I've discussed the details with these people about what I would potentially be working on.

@ChrisWhite The value of "learning how to socialize" depends on what kind of socializing your high school teaches.

@ChrisWhite: Depends very much on your high school...

I disagree with the closing of this question: this is an entirely reasonable question about the tradeoffs of getting into research early.

Does the "visiting students program at a nearby college" that you plan to attend require students to have completed tenth grade? That seems like a key detail :)

@ChrisWhite, you can learn how to socialize without attending a "regular" highschool. I was homeschooled and I socialize fine, and I also missed out on a lot of stereotypes and pressures I might have learned in a "regular school."

I would consider looking into options that still allow you to get a high school diploma without actually needing to attend classes.  The state I grew up in (Utah) had an alternative high school option.  I am not completely familiar with the details of the programs, but students who failed classes necessary to graduate or who otherwise needed to not attend a "normal" high school were able to fill out "packets" to get credit for classes.  It still takes time and can get in the way of actual education, but could still lead to a HS diploma.

@ChrisWhite conversely if you attend a school in a underfunded (and heavily minority) area you might (1) get into trouble with stringent school policies and school to prison pipeline type attitude and (2) socialize in a way such as getting involved in a criminal gang or be sent to a juvenile rehab facility where you get deepily involved in criminal lifestyle. I know this because that describes my highschool life, thankfully I was able to get out but many of my friends did not.

When you applied for the position, they must have understood that you were in high school.  What do they expect you to do?  I'm a bit confused that they would make you an offer that requires you to not complete 10th grade.

My summer plans are already secured since September (before all this existed) and my only chance at these labs are the next two months. Nothing has been finalized with them, but I've told them I would start in two weeks (and leave school) and they understand the situation.

@ChrisWhite American citizens are expected to serve in juries, vote, follow the law, etc.  We can not expect future citizens to be born with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform these functions.  Citizen education is necessary.

I think education is one of the goals of high school, why even have books? just to keep the students busy? why not have them watch movies all day instead?  Education may not have motivated the desire for High School initially but I think many of the teachers and students are there for education first.

But in a general way, school is not about growing, thinking, challenging, creating, failing, and genuinely learning because that is hard and takes a long time. School is about being a passive consumer of data and algorithms and being continually "unit tested" and being held accountable. It's TDD test driven development

I'm sorry you feel that way about your high school. When you talk about college, do you mean it in an American sense (equivalent to a university) or in a "junior college"/"community college sense"?

I used to work in a Computational Neuroscience group at Oxford.  However smart you are I'd be amazed to hear anyone there would go through the admin required to get a work permit for you to come over from the US for such a short period, particularly if it were to jeapordise your chances of finishing high school.  I smell a troll.

I feel you! Fellow high school student here. I'm looking at graduating a semester early for the same reasons you mentioned; the classes are intolerable and while I enjoy the social scene to a certain extent I doubt it would be any worse at university, certainly not a reason to stay. Man, if I were in your position I would go for it!

Wait!  Perhaps you can finish tenth grade AND attend the internship, using some people skills :)
First, there should be an administrative coordinator listed in your internship correspondence.  (If not, ask the offering professor for a contact name).  Call this person and say that you are honored to receive an offer, and that your school calendar year runs through X, has anyone been in your situation before?  What would he/she recommend?  Maybe the dates are flexible, maybe some offsite work is permissible...
Most coordinators I've worked were experienced and helpful; it's worth a try.  Your final plan will need to be cleared with the offering professor.
Then, approach your favorite teacher, and say you've received this wonderful internship opportunity, but it starts before the end of the school year and you don't know what to do.  Who would be a good contact in the school to talk to?  Perhaps a guidance counselor, principal, ...  With any luck your favorite teacher will be excited for you and want to see you succeed.
From there, get in touch with the recommended person (e.g. guidance counselor) to compose a plan to complete your high school courses.  It may be possible to complete work early, substitute an online course, ...  Next, approach each of your teachers individually, tell them about the great internship and that you're working with Mr./Mrs. X on a plan to finish the year.  Thank them for helping you be able to finish early.  It's best if you bring it up personally since they'll feel involved in the solution, vs. hearing about it from the counselor.
A lot of work?  Yes.  Will all go well?  Hard to say - there may be a few blockers.  Worth a try?  Absolutely.  You want to be perceived as that friendly guy or gal who made it big and gets a writeup in the hometown paper.
By the way, if you can pull this off you will be FAR more astute than I was in high school!
Also, what do your parents think?  They might have some good ideas on how to approach the situation, and on your options for next year.

I love this idea.  No idea if it will work, but the downsides/costs (a bit of wasted time) are negligible compared to the benefit of showing 10th grade as completed.  Where I live (WA state), skipping 11th and 12th grade for early college entry is something people have heard of (our program is called "Running Start"), but not 10th.  Not completing 10th grade may be more prone to be perceived negatively.  When you graduate, you don't want to look unusual in a negative way.  Definitely try to get lots of people involved for advice or other help:  Though some may be wrong, others may be lifesaver

Once you have a tertiary degree, the only entity that will view dropping out of high school negatively is McDonalds.

@AnonymousPhysicist An international company that I applied to, even after seeing my university degree in the field, with distinction, still wanted to see my high-school marks before offering an interview. I thought it was dumb, but it does happen.

Your favourite teacher might not always be the best option, it depends on why they are your favourite. (Most of my favourite teachers in secondary were my favourites because they were amusing, not necissarily because they were organised or good at giving advice.)

I'd like to offer a counterpoint to Anonymous Physicist. I started school early because I was on the border of the birthday cutoff date, and then skipped my senior year of high school. So I left for college at 15.
It was too early for me.
Not academically. I passed all of my classes, and found a number of them still a bit boring. But going to college isn't entirely about classes. For most people, it is their first time living life on their own terms. You make your own schedule, make your own food, wash your own clothes, make your own decisions with no immediate consequence.
In short, you're learning how to be an adult. And in that, I floundered a bit. It took time for me to build a work ethic. It took a bit of failure for me to figure out how to maintain my own motivation and discipline. Enough for me to lose my scholarships and eventually drop out.
And that was with a bunch of other early entry students to provide social support. If you're going to be unique in that environment, that will provide it's own challenges. And then there's the culture shock of going from being the best at your school to being just another person among the best in the world.
So I would caution this approach. The things that led to my failure were things I didn't even think to consider at the time. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence.

Did you go to a "regular" college or one that specifically caters to younger students, like the one Anonymous Physicist went to? I think going to a "regular" college would magnify the difficulties things you describe. (I had a high school student as a classmate in my own "regular" undergraduate college, and his experience was similar to yours, I think.)

@ff524 - I went to the Clarkson School, linked in the comments. So 1 year with early entry students and then most left to other colleges. That's what I meant in the next to last paragraph, but I can see where that is perhaps unclear in rereading.

Oops. I missed that detail in that next to last paragraph. Thanks for clarifying.

A very valuable insight.

@Minix first hand reports like these ones are actually invaluable!!!

Presumably British colleges are different to US colleges, but college certainly did nothing to teach me how to be an adult.

1 but two counterpoints: I was in a similar situation but instead of leaving early I decided to finish my senior year and go to college shortly after turning 17. Extra year did not make me noticeably more mature or responsible. Second: leaving early worked out pretty well for the kid one year ahead of me https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Legend

On the other hand, making this step is tricky whether you try it at 15 or 19.

I went to college after 12th grade, turned 18 about 6 weeks after arriving, and it was far too early for me, too.

"I don't think not being in traditional high school will be a hindrance to my college admissions"
As a high school dropout who is now an academic, I have found skipping much of my secondary education has actually accelerated my education, career, and earnings.  However, this path is not for everyone.  It depends on what sort of high school is involved, the goals/motivation of the individual, and what they do with themselves after leaving high school.  If you want to pursue a research career, but your high school does not provide an environment conducive to learning, then I would recommend changing to a different environment.  Keep in mind that you will need to learn things outside your preferred area of study to be successful as a researcher.

Note that "changing to a different environment" may well mean "moving to a different school" rather than "leaving school altogether."

On the one hand, there are whatever difficulties there might be with your current school and leaving before the semester is out. Should you return (likely mind you), you should negotiate what credit you get from this semester, what credit (if any) from your experience, and what will be needed to graduate. Get most of this clear up front if you are likely to return.
Next, this scenario offers you an opportunity. It is not too dissimilar to the 'semester schools', where HS students go as a 'semester abroad' kind of arrangement - often the credits there map back on to standard HS courses. In addition, it can give you an excellent essay topic or two for college applications.
Now, if you have no intention of returning to your HS, things get slightly harder perhaps. That means either a GED (probably easy) and college applications, or a university that accepts early leavers - Simon's Rock is one, U Delaware used to at least, as did New Mexico Tech. In these cases, there can be issues (one person I knew well went to a university program and was back within a month - they were not impressed with the quality of the program - your mileage may vary).
Finally, your local school district may have an arrangement with the local community college, letting you take courses there to fulfill your HS requirements. This may be a state law kind of an issue, so who knows.

How would I determine the legal issues at play?

A guidance counsellor and/or assistant principal might help.

Clarkson in New York also has/had? an early entry program, and New York State gives/gave? a GED to someone if they complete 60 college credits.

A GED is useless to an academic.  American community colleges vary greatly in quality (kind of like high schools).

@AnonymousPhysicist - indeed, once an 'academic', what you did in HS is irrelevant. However, some colleges will want you to have a HS diploma or a GED for admission. So, if you want to go to one of them you just do it. And, yes, community colleges vary - you are stuck with the one in your community. Perhaps there is even a correlation between local HS and CC quality. But it remains a useful option as pointed out above. Bottom line: perhaps the OP is so brilliant CalTech will take him right now. I rate those chances as slim to none without more history shown (by CC for example).

@JonCuster If there's anyway the OP can call themselves a homeschooler on their college apps, very few colleges will require a GED. (A few will ask for extra eg SAT subject tests, but that's not too onerous.)

No, homeschooled applicants have to provide detailed records of their homeschool classes.

It depends on what you want to get out of high school.
For some people, there may be social benefits to continuing high school. Peers of a similar age may have similar issues and goals, and as such you may be less isolated from them. There is a great deal to be learned from people who are going through the same issues as you are. Relationships, both friendships and romantic attachments, can be easier to form with people who are closer to your chronological age.
And there are many milestones that you will miss if you choose to skip nearly three years of high school. Prom, cruising through the senior year, perhaps even voting with your friends–all of these things can be worth experiencing.
That said, high school is not the only way to have a real social life, or to interact with one's peers. You don't need to lose touch with your friends just because you are working at a lab, even in a different city or country. You don't need that your social group is limited to your research group. You can certainly learn a lot from people who have few years' more life experience.
Which works better for you will depend on how much you depend on the school environment for socializing, and how much you prioritize learning.
My own experience was somewhat similar. I was homeschooled, a path which is already associated with social isolation in the minds of many. I studied college texts at home, and after taking a few classes, was off to graduate school by 17. I missed out on both the "high school experience," and the "college experience."
When I started, I struggled with the courseload. I struggled with interacting with people who often seemed to have entirely different interests from mine, and entirely different lives from me. But I had the opportunity to advance to a level of academic sophistication that was better suited to me. And I discovered that many of the older students were just as fun to hang out with as younger people, and that there were plenty of undergraduates worth talking to anyway.
It's not really a zero sum game; that's the point. You don't have to become a social misfit in order to advance in your education. If you're motivated, you can find plenty of social and personal growth even in a very different academic environment.

I skipped a year of High School to go to college early.  My gut reaction is "Do it!  Going to the prom is way over-rated."
A more nuanced answer is that you need to understand the trade-offs.  How good is the High School you are currently attending?  If 80% of the students go to a 4-year collage and 20% go to a top-10 college, then there is value is sticking around.  If the relevant numbers are 12% and 0%, you need to leave now.
I went to college at the age of 16, and it definitely affected my choices.  I got into my safe school, but not into any of my first choice schools.  Subsequently, I took a couple of years off, and then got into a good grad school, but the whole thing was sub-optimal.  In my case, the choice was either a second-rate university, or a third-rate High School.  You need to take a cold, hard look at what your choices really are.
You have the advantage of getting good advice.  I suspect that you have had good advice up to this point, or you would not have even known that internship programs exist.
If I had to make one recommendation, it would be to figure out how to have the internship count towards getting a High School diploma, and then go to college at the usual age.  For most people, their age is a very important parameter in where they get accepted, and in how well they do academically.

I left high school 6 weeks into my junior year (11th grade) due to a weapons possession charge (It was just a simple pocket knife.  I'm an Eagle Scout, and always carry one.  Zero tolerance state at the time, but now I think they all are.)
Anyway, I dropped out of high school and took my GED.  I got a 99% without studying.  I then took my ACT and got a 35/36, again no studying.  I went to college and the rest is history.  It is possible.
However, a GED is not very congruent with an Ivy League school.  I would look into a hardship diploma, or a "homeschooling" path.  Much more attractive.
Bottom line, if you don't like it, get out.  It's your life.

Although pursuit of an internship would fulfill your passion, as others have mentioned, there is a great amount of maturity necessary for one to fully take advantage of opportunity life has to offer, which you would gain most effectively in school. Rather than pursuing a research internship, enter a high school that is more academically challenging because I can promise you there are probably many. If your family is not financially secure enough to make the move then I suggest you still wait until college and you should be able to get a scholarship at a great university. It is only two years away from you and I promise you the wait will be worth it. In general, employers will look at your past job and project experience but college is an experience you definitely won't want to miss because many offer both great academic competition and an environment in which you and your peers can develop both strong maturity and character. If you have already chosen to drop out of high school try to find an opportunity to advance you education because as a researcher, further education will only push you further down your path towards success. I wish you luck both in school and for your future.

The general sort of choice you face has significant pushes in both directions. Agreed, in the U.S. (and many other places) high schools are not equipped in any way, simply do not have the personnel (nor do most community colleges) to present srsly-upscale content in the sciences or anything else, possibly with the exception of music (my observation...!), because expert practitioners get essentially-infinitely-better possibilities elsewhere. So, sure, intellectually, high school is boring or worse.
On another hand, who said it wouldn't be? Undergrad is pretty much the same thing, except that it's the "top quarter" or "top half" or something... and now everyone's out from under their parents, and many are able to pose as legally able to buy alcohol, and ... there are drugs...
I would imagine that a "lab" is a little more goal-oriented than the crowd-control of most undergrad situations. Ok.
But, now, there is the issue of socialization. True, alienation from one's peers can be defended as a reasonable conclusion/state... but, subtly-enough, not-quite-exactly for the reasons one might see as "immediate" while in high school (in my own recollection, e.g.).
By this point, it is entirely unclear to me whether the benefit of more intellectually-grown-up situation of ... well, ok, not so much undergrad, and, oop, not really grad students, and ... um... but maybe national labs are entirely different? (... sigh...) is really worth the trade of getting to know the human animal(s) of one's own chrono age, if not intellectual.
That is, even if one strongly suspects that one has little interest in participation in popular cultural processes... there might be reason to have an idea of what they are, and who the people are, first-hand. NB, both pop-culture and "academic" culture significantly caricaturize actual people... for reasons that are mildly interesting to study. Direct observation is the only reliable fact-base.
I myself really did not like the boredom of high school, ... but the human-condition factoids I acquired there are among the most significant I have.

I think this is a good answer in theory. In practice, I'd like to optimize for a global maximum. So sure there are benefits to staying, but I still need to view that into context with the advantages of elsewhere, which I see as orders of magnitude greater.

There is a school of thought that "work experience" (and in this case, the resulting connections), is even more important than formal education. This thought is particularly prevalent in America. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard after one year and never looked back. Using this train of thought, you should take the prestigious internship even if you have to drop out of school. Once you have completed your work program, you can always go back to school. Unless you are the next "Bill Gates" and can rise to the top of your profession without more schooling.
The exception to the above is if you come from a country where once you drop out of school, you can never get back into the "system," and most employers look more to schooling than to work experience. That is not the case in America (where I live) nor in most western countries.
The laws of economics say that the highest returns accrue to the scarcest factors of production. In most cases, a prized internship is a scarcer factor than an educational opportunity. The previous paragraph dealt with the odd case where "education" is "scarcer." In either event, your decision should be governed by this rule.

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text:
How can I ask author to send me his simulation result?
I am working on my research paper. I read a paper that is related to my works. But I cannot reproduce the results. The information provided in the paper is not sufficient for me. How can I ask him to share his simulation works with me.
Is there any specific email format for that?

You are unlikely to get the author's code. Most of the time, I have students asking me for my simulation code so that they may use it to complete their programming assignment.  Hence, I never give my code.  I suggest that you ask the authors for their simulation parameters, and how they achieve step-X.  You also can double check your understanding with the authors, but never ask for the source code.

Thank you, Sir, for your suggestions.

@Prof.SantaClaus, they consider a simulator and me also considering the same simulator.  But in that simulator, I cannot understand some points.  As they already consider that, and also they did not provide proper hits about some figure in the papers. now I am in dilemma.

I disagree with @Prof.SantaClaus: Ask for the code. There's a similar question, with good answers, elsewhere on this site. I couldn't find it with a quick search, perhaps you can with a little more effort.

@user2768 you can ask, however, politely.  However, it seems like an attempt at not doing the work or poor background.  In both cases, I don't entertain such requests.

You need to investigate the detail as to why you don't get the results. Only needs one comma misplaced, especially with simulations, and been there, done that...

There are many researchers that share their program codes with others and there are also many others that never answer your emails, even when you're asking them for some guide. So, it's up to your chance!

@Prof.SantaClaus it seems like an attempt at not doing the work, I don't see it that way. If I can't run your code, then why should I blindly trust any of your claims?

Agree with @user2768, seems very uncharitable to automatically assume malicious intent from a request for resources to reproduce your result. If the paper depends on the source code and the author is too obstinate to release the code, then the paper ought not be published.

If the paper depends on the source code and the author is too obstinate to release the code, then the paper ought not be published, I agree: I believe peer-review should require code to be made public along with the manuscript, on the publisher's website, for instance, possibly with a pointer to any current version that the author intends to maintain.

@user2768 well, that's the reason I don't trust simulation code.  My main tool: mathematics!

@Prof.SantaClaus Simulations surely have a basis in mathematics? (I appreciate that simulations can mean many things in different disciplines.)

As a general rule, you can ask anyone for anything. But they may not agree to give it, depending on quite a few factors.
I think the only rule is to ask politely and not make claims that you dispute their results. But asking for the code to replicate the results, and explore them more deeply, is appropriate. But there isn't any specific format.
If the other authors are honest then it is a bit more likely they will agree, but it isn't a given. There may be some aspects of their code that they want to keep private to avoid getting scooped.

Thank you @Buffy

Simply send the author(s) a non-confrontational email explaining why you would like access to their code, raw data, or what have you. The email should explain who you are, what specifically you are working on, and why you are interested in reproducing or building upon on their results. Most researchers would be happy to have someone interested in their work and willing to provide external validation.
I should also note that, in my opinion, you contacting the authors and them providing the requested materials creates a mutual (unspoken) agreement: if you find some issue, you will notify the author(s) before calling attention to the issue in a public way. This allows the authors the chance to issue a correction or retraction, which they are owed given their honest participation in the scientific process.
Also, this is a great way to make new contacts in your research area. I have met many friends and collaborators through email discussions started in this manner.

Thank you @user23658

By order of what I consider "best practice", here are a few possible cases.

In the article, the authors point to a specific version of an open-source software or to an archive of their own code. They also provide all the parameters and the complete simulation procedure, ideally scripted for reproducibility. This is apparently not the case here.
In the article, the authors use a well documented method, with publicly available data and standard protocols. While they might not reply to you, other experts in the field should be able to reproduce their results with some effort.
The authors mention vaguely their methods or do not provide the necessary parameters. In this case, you are out of luck as only guess work can get you there. It happens often but you should, in principle, be able to work it out at a possibly large investment of time (and possibly of CPU time, etc).

There are several reasons for authors to keep their code private: publishing code takes time, they might think that their code is not "beautiful" enough, the code might provide them with a competitive advantage, etc.
Whatever the reasons, it is legitimate to request the code, data files and parameter files but the authors have no obligation to provide the files or even to reply to you. Sometimes, to motivate the authors it helps to provide a bit of context on your work.
Now, let us assume that the authors reply and attach a source file to their email. This is fine for study purposes but be aware that unless a proper license is provided with the program you cannot do much with the code.
The absence of code is frequent enough that there is a journal dedicated to replication studies in computational fields, ReScience C. Disclaimer: I am part of their editorial team.

Thank you for your valuable information

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text:
Why is it so hard to get PhD funding in the UK for international students?
In general, it's fairly difficult to get a funded PhD position in the UK, if you're an international student.
An international grad student in the UK has essentially a few options, such as: (1) ultra-prestigious scholarships like the Rhodes scholarship, (2) external funding, e.g. from industry or their home country's government (this is common for students from many Asian countries), or (3) compete for a very small number of department or university funded positions/scholarships open to internationals.
This is very different from the situation in the US and most of continental Europe, where a PhD position always comes with a salary, and where there's typically no discrimination between domestic and international applicants.
Are there historical reasons why the UK PhD system is like this?  It seems strange, especially given that the UK is a wealthy country strong in scientific research.  Why don't they reform their system to better attract international talent?
(My field is physics, but I think the same is true across other STEM subjects.)

Almost all public (i.e. state-funded) universities in the US discriminate against international applicants; this is just not made obvious.

@AlexanderWoo  That is debatable.  A lot of the discrimination against foreign students is indirect, because non-US universities are less well known, and because a certain country's education system might be perceived negatively.  In any case it is nowhere nearly as extreme as in the UK.

@AlexanderWoo, citation required.

At the undergraduate level, state universities discriminate positively towards international students since they pay full out-of-state tuition…

The situation at Berkeley was (and I would think still is) the following: the department covered the tuition for all students out of its budget.  Domestic students could become in-state residents and have paid on their behalf a much cheaper rate after one year; international students continued to be charged at the out-of-state rate throughout.  In addition, some grant funds could only be used for domestic students.  The result was that one needed much stronger test scores, grades, and recommendations to be admitted as an international student (even if you came from a US undergrad school).

@AlexanderWoo. funding is a different issue than "discrimination". Any tax supported institution may validly want to use the majority of its funds for residents (i.e. taxpayers). That may also reflect the UK situation as well.

@Buffy - right now, UC Berkeley gets something like 10% of its budget from the state. Getting students who pay full tuition is very beneficial to them. Many  institutions with smaller endowments have become reliant on international students. See, for example, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1066279.pdf

@Aqualone Depends a lot on field/program; for fields that rely on TAships there may be less explicit difference for international and domestic students, though language proficiency is important. For federal research dollars, it's mostly flexible as far as I know outside of defense areas. Fellowships and traineeships, though, which in my own field often cover first year students, are highly limited for non-domestic students.

@Buffy - I think it's clear this question is about funded positions for graduate students.

In the US, admission to at PhD program does not imply funding.  Perhaps it is true in physics.

This post on the PhD admissions in the UK also touches on this topic. Not a duplicate, but related: https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/181161/4249

The big difference between the UK system and some other systems is that in the UK a PhD student is primarily regarded, at least by the system (even if not always by the supervisor) as a student who is there to learn, whereas, at least in the EU system, PhD students are primarily regarded as researchers who are there to perform a role.
The OP asks "Why don't they reform their system to better attract international talent?". This assumes that students are regarded as something you want to attract in order to benefit the country. But officialdom in the UK regards students as people who take benefit, rather than give it.  A student is receiving a service, not providing one. To a British official, asking why they don't fund overseas PhD student is the same as asking why they don't pay for the undergraduate tuition fees of international students.
So, the British government sets aside a certain amount of money each year from its education/training budget to train PhD students. As it sees its job to educate British people, it would usually only pay for the PhD education of British people - it is other people's governments' job to pay for the education of their own people.
All of this is at least partly related to the superiority of the Arts and Humanities in British culture as the place where real intellectuals come from - at least in the minds of those in power, who almost without fail have humanities degrees from elite universities. In the arts and humanities, this view that PhD students are not part of a research workforce is closer to the truth.
All of this should not be taken as an endorsement of this situation, which I think is terrible.
All hope is not lost though. While with the UK leaving the EU, students from the EU became international students, the government has partially offset this by saying that up to 30% of students recruited to the main government-funded PhD programs (UKRI DTPs/DTCs) can be overseas students. In practice, I've found that this cap hasn't been a limitation, and we've been able to admit all the overseas students that ranked high enough in open competition in our DTP.

“… the self-proclaimed superiority of…” Unfortunately there’s an oversupply of demand for UK degrees (and from some other countries as well) so that international grad. students are seen as an income stream to make up for administrative overspending.

"Self-proclaimed" is not my experience - its not the humanities PhDs themselves proclaiming their superiority, but more the gatekeepers of British society/culture, who are not generally humanities PhDs. I don't really buy into the whole two cultures thing. I also think that the tendency of universities to abuse international students as an income stream is separate from the government's decision to not fund them.

Funding of international students in the UK is a lot more difficult than places like the US because the UK research organizations (UKRI and the various research councils underneath it) have very strict rules about which type of award can and cannot support students, and how the money should be allocated to students.
The first major difference is that grants from the UK research councils (such as EPSRC/BBSRC/ESRC/etc.) can not be used to fund any student fees, so when a professor gets a new grant, they can't use it for students they have to use it for research staff (such as post-docs) [1]. This is very different from the US system, where grants from bodies like the NSF/NIH can be used to fund students.
Instead, the UK research councils have special "Doctoral training" grants and "PhD Studentships" that are meant for funding PhD students. Even these are limited though, with the current UKRI rules [2] saying that no more than 30% of the UKRI-funded portion of a cohort on a training grant (e.g. Centre for Doctoral Training, training grant programs awarded to universities, etc.) can be international students, and even then, the UKRI-provided money can only be used to cover the amount of the home fees for the student. This means that those international students still must pay the difference between the international and home fees amount (although the university can cover the difference from other sources, such as internal funding or company support).
Both of these restrictions means that the main funding source available to support PhD students in countries like the US (e.g. government grants and centers) is not easily available to support international students in the UK, forcing the reliance on the private programs and university-level programs where the individual charities/universities set the rules and not the government.
[1] RGC 4.5 in https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/UKRI-170821-FullEconomicCostingGrantTermsConditions-Aug2021.pdf
[2] https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/UKRI-170321-InternationalEligibilityImplementationGuidance.pdf

I think the question was why does the UK have policies that lead to this situation in general, not what are the details of the funding restrictions that lead to this.

Different countries give different answers to the basic question

Why would a society (country) fund someone from outside that society
for getting some academic degree?

Some of the reasons can be:

pure altruism,
seeing it as development aid (which will be politically desirable),
expectation that the person will stay and work for a domestic company, thus strengthening the economy,
strengthening the domestic research community (in international competition),
lack of own personnel capable of doing important research.

Alas, societies often are only willing to invest resources (money) if the can clearly see a good return-on-investment. And the UK seems to be a bit more sceptical here than other countries.

This doesn't directly address the question.  Also, the points you raise only partially apply since a PhD is a job in additional to being an academic course.  (indeed, in some places in continental Europe, PhD positions are essentially jobs, with the degree awarded in the end being almost like a side-effect)

@Aqualone See my answer, below, but I think the key point you are missing is that in the UK a PhD is not regarded as a job in addition to being an academic course. At least not in the minds of those that make the policies.


text:
Unfinished prerequisite undergrad course in the last year in MS application as a final year undergrad student
I am in the process of applying for MS program in computer science as a final year undergrads. I am taking Computer System course this semester and likely to take another Operating System course in the next semester.
Both Computer System and Operating System are core CS courses that are included in prerequistes for master program in CS (I am not CS undergrad student). But the majority of schools have the application submission deadline of December this year, when the grades haven't shown on my transcript.
Should I contact the school about the issues and convince them I will finish them before graduation? Or should I mention it in my CV or SoP to arise their awarness of the issues? Other approches are also welcome.
It is acceptable to include only one course(Computer System) if it's too hard to cover both and a compromise is not avoidable

Usually transcripts include registered courses as well as graded ones, and usually you'd be registered for those courses already when you apply. It's normal for anyone applying to graduate school as an undergrad has half of their senior yet to still complete. It's a totally normal situation completely familiar to admissions committees.
If for some reason your transcripts don't show future enrollment, sure, it's fine to mention somewhere, but no need to make a big deal about it (just a list of enrolled courses for spring would be sufficient). Your acceptance will be conditional on completing your degree, including any required courses you still have in progress.


text:
Can an advisor use student's data for journal publishing without prior consent?
A master's student did research under an advisor.  As part of the research, the student had collected and processed a lot of data and finally published the thesis as well. After a few years,  the advisor took a small portion of said data from the master's thesis and published a paper. The student is not a co-author nor was prior consent sought to use that data. However, the advisor added the student's name in the acknowledgment section. Is there anything wrong on the advisor's side? After all, the advisor had also actively guided the research and collection of data and may feel they have a right to use that data without the consent of the student.
The student played no role in publishing the paper except for the fact that a part of the student's published master's thesis data was used for this journal publication. The student was hence not added as a co-author but was acknowledged.

https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/122742/my-master-s-thesis-results-will-be-published-without-my-consent-what-should-i

PG = post grad? Did you collect this for your advisor's project, or on your own? i.e. were you funded to do this work?

Could you explain what you mean by "processing data"? What kind of processing? I read that as meaning "analyzed the data to extract useful information". If that's not what you mean, please [edit] and clarify.

@AzorAhai-him-, yes PG=Post Grad, or for Masters Thesis.

You should explicitly says what " master thesis published as well" means. Did it went public via a journal? If so, the advisor is likely correct. He behave as if he would critically use my published data, or those of another user, citing our work. In this case you are not only cited, but acknowledged, too. There are too many variables to answer your question. We can't know what is substantial and what is not.

@codingsplash Ok, I edited that in because there's often a substantial difference in expectations between master's/PhD postrgraduates

@alchimista it was published within university and available in the university library

@codingsplash then is a bit strange. My personal choice would have been to include you as an author, but this open the opposite question... . It could have been a publication granted for almost free. Indeed to judge one should know the situation in detail and in person.

You say that the advisor has used a small portion of the data in a publication. Did they re-use any of your analysis (e.g. included or not in your MSc thesis)? When you mention "published master's thesis data", do you mean that a part of this data was made publicly available through the MSc thesis?

The title of the question seems to contradict the text of the question: it's not the "student's data" once it's been published.  But there is nuance.
Very broadly speaking, a person gets to be an author on a particular publication when they have done work for that particular publication.  If work was done but already published elsewhere, then it is considered work for a different publication.  Conversely, if this new publication relies on data that has not been (and is not about to be) published elsewhere, then the data is essentially work for the new publication.  Basically, if the student considers the data published, then the student can no longer claim any ownership of the data.  And if the student hasn't contributed anything new to this new publication, there is no ethical demand on the professor to share authorship with the student — in fact, there would be more of an ethical demand not to gift authorship to the student.
Now, having said that, it's also true that there are different levels of publication.  When the thesis was "published", where and how did that happen?  Just in the university library's archive of theses?  On the arXiv?  Some kind of data repository (zenodo, figshare, dryad)?  Or a journal?  One of the driving factors behind ethical decisions is the fact that, "in the scholarly arena, [authorship] also forms the basis for rewards and career advancement."  (COPE, 2019)  So — specifically in their role as a supervisor — the advisor has some moral responsibility to ensure that such rewards can be conferred on the student.  At least in fields I've worked in, that basis entirely ignores university library thesis archives, but gives nearly full credit to arXiv publication, and full credit to data repositories and journals.  I suspect that every academic field would give full credit to a journal publication, some might not with arXiv or data repos, and most would not credit a library archive.
So here, I'll just give my judgment based on fields I've worked in.  If it were me, and the thesis had only been published in the university library's archive, I would not consider the data published, and thus offer authorship to the student.  Otherwise, I would consider the data published, and feel ethically bound not to offer authorship to the student, unless they contribute something specifically to the new publication (which could be as minor as helping to write a section).
But there is some gray area here, so I'll also point out that it could be just a dumb move on the advisor's part to push toward the greedy end of the gray.  Sole authorship is usually more of a boost to the ego than to the career.  On the other hand, the advisor's institution and funding agencies want to see evidence of training the next generation — and joint publications constitute great evidence.  Also, future students and collaborators want to know they won't be squeezed out of credit they might deserve.  When there's ethical wiggle room, the smart move is to err on the side of generosity.

Edit: I should also emphasize that there's a difference between being an author and being offered authorship.  Given the comment below that the thesis was published in the university library, the advisor should have made a good-faith effort to bring the student aboard as an author on the paper.  However, it's also true that students who have moved on with their lives will often be unable or unwilling to take on the responsibility of authorship, even with a reasonable amount of flexibility from the other authors.  I'm not saying that's what happened here, but it can happen.  And if it does, the advisor can't let the research be held hostage, but must accept that they made an honest effort, and the research has technically been published, so the new publication can go forward without the student.

Further reading
Within academia, COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) is generally regarded as providing a sort of broad framework for all fields.  (For example, Springer's, Cambridge's, and Wiley's discussions of authorship ethics link to COPE.)  And COPE has put out a document with lots of discussion and links to more discussion on the issue of authorship.

Thanks for your detailed answer. This was published and available only in the university library

Thanks for the clarification.  Given that, I think it was not ideal behavior on the part of the advisor, but not "actionable" in the sense that no official action would likely be taken if the student complains — either to the school or the journal.

More or less what I have been thinking. Plus 1. With no paper out the boss could have been more friendly to OP.

A paper should not be published without the consent of all the authors.
Collecting and processing data may or may not make someone an author; it depends on the details and the discipline.  We cannot evaluate this for you.
If you live in a jurisdiction where data is not protected by copyright law, then technically anybody who gets a copy of your data can publish that data wherever they please.
https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/11359/can-you-copyright-data

@dodd do you mean that sometimes the system breaks down and papers can and have been published without the required consent or are you saying that, at least for your journal, author consent is optional?

I suspect that in general it is difficult to copyright "data" as such. Data is just facts and facts exist in the real world. If the data is sufficiently massaged and manipulated then that result might be copyrightable as it has some creative elements. Collecting "data" makes you a participant, it doesn't, in itself, make you an author.

@dodd I have had quite a few journals automatically check if I consent to publication.  Do you have any exceptions to the ethical requirement other than "author dead" or "author permanently disabled?"

@dodd It should be mysterious, as in many areas of physics and chemistry each paper is a unique authorship situation.

@dodd perhaps the more pertinent question is: if an author were to write to you about a paper under consideration, saying that it was submitted without their consent - would you do anything or would you review & publish as normal?

The OP says the data creator was acknowledged. They were not declared as a co-author. So the comment discussions are probably moot.

Although maybe not strictly necessary, but I would also recommend to ask for peoples' consent if they are mentioned in the acknowledgements only. The mention connects them to the paper.

The ethics of what your advisor did can't be answered well without knowing the exact specifics of what you did and your field.
If the data you collected was part of a project led by your advisor (collecting data is a valuable learning experience as part of a postgraduate degree), who "gave" you an analysis to do, their behavior trends toward acceptable/expected, the data is "theirs."
But, if this was a project you proposed and executed, it trends toward unethical, although some would argue that data collected in a lab ultimately belongs to the PI (I don't), which makes using it without contacting you only slight rude.
This, of course, depends on how expensive/difficult the data is to collect. If they gave you funding to collect six MRI scans, that would give them a little bit more leeway than if you scraped data from Reddit.
Finally, with regards to "processing," in my field at least, that would give you priority over the first paper published with it (which you said you did), as well as the next few you are directly involved in. After that -- especially a few years later -- citing you and acknowledging the use of your data is the correct way to go.
In short, I think it's more likely than not your advisor behaved appropriately, but the details matter.

I don't think the behaviour of the PI would be regarded as 'wrong' by most academics; the fact that a problem exists in apportioning ownership to the paper is testament to the fact that many people contributed to the paper, either through writing or analysis or data generation or ideas. Therefore my personal view is that everyone ought to be included as authors.
The decision of the PI in this case is not unusual, however, I think it sucks. Who wants to be way at the bottom of the page, separate from all of the other authors, like a black sheep?
An acknowledgement is more of an insult than anything.
This is why I avoid academia. I am not going to be the labour-slave of a PI who gets to take all the credit, make all the important decisions and receive the fat salary.
I'm_not_doing_it: become an independent researcher.

Note: the answer below makes an assumption about what you meant by "processing" data. I am assuming you mean that the student collected the data and then analyzed them to extract useful information and this is the information that was then put in context by the advisor and published. If by "processing" you just mean filling out a spreadsheet or otherwise making the data available for analysis as opposed to actually performing the analysis, then that's different and my answer does not apply.

What you are describing sounds to me like a clear case of academic malpractice where the advisor is stealing someone else's work. I may be misunderstanding the situation, but you wrote: "the student had collected and processed a lot of data".  This means the student did all the work of data collection and analysis. I realize this may depend on your field, but I struggle to imagine a situation where the person who did all the data collection and analysis doesn't merit authorship of a paper that is based on said data and analysis.
So yes, from what I can understand and the details you gave, the advisor is absolutely in the wrong. The student should not only have been consulted, but more importantly, the student should have been an author. The fact that the advisor had actively guided the research and collection of data is irrelevant. That's what advisors are supposed to do and that's why, at least in many fields, papers are published under both the advisor's and the student's name. In my field, biology, this would typically have the student as first author and the advisor as last and corresponding author.

You seem to be confusing "participation" in a study with the creative work that makes you an author. Not every participant "deserves" authorship. In fact, in some fields, "courtesy authorship" is common and viewed by others as a violation of ethical standards. The professor, here, seems to have appropriately acknowledged the work of the student.

@Buffy I guess it comes down to what the OP means by "analysis". I read that as collecting the data and the processing said data to extract relevant information. That, to me, is an integral part of the work and is more than enough to merit authorship in my field. It is, in fact, often the most hard and important part of the work. So this seems like the person who actually did all the work is being given an acknowledgement while the supervisor gets all the credit for their student's work.

Also, @Buffy, what's your field? I assume if this is how you feel, then that's the norm in your field, and that is so different to what I am used to I am very curious. What field is this where the person who did all of the legwork of collecting and analyzing data doesn't merit authorship? Some sort of very theoretical subject, I guess?

@Buffy In my world, "participation" would suggest someone is a subject of the research, rather than the person collecting the data. Overall I don't think it's clear either way; I think this answer assumes the person described in OP had a lot more contribution than even the OP implies (though the added note qualifies this), and I think it's hard to make judgment without knowing what "collected and processed" means, but I also think there is not enough here to assume a mere acknowledgement was the appropriate action.


text:
Does it look odd not to acknowledge any funding in a paper?
Speaking pragmatically, does it look odd or amateurish to write "this work was not supported by any funding" or something like that on a paper? Would it seem to suggest the author is, as I say, an amateur/non-academic, or is not doing enough research to secure grants consistently?
The context of the question is, I'm currently between grants and wondering if I should wait to publish this paper until after I get a new one. It is a silly concern, but still important to me. However, I'm wondering more generally what the perception is of papers or authors who are not supported while publishing.

Why would you write "this work was not supported by any funding" instead of nothing?

Required by the journal to state support or lack of support, unfortunately, hence my concern

Didn't this current work have origins in a funded situation?

Sort of. It was a very small thing that I wrote up over a month or two, while between grants. Departmental support in the meantime. It is a little beside the point though - my fault for asking an unclear question! - I'm just curious about the perception of writing this kind of thing

https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/3010/does-one-need-to-be-affiliated-with-a-university-to-publish-papers

Thank you for the resource @Anonymous-Physicist. I am not actually an independent scholar, so this doesn't apply exactly to this situation. It does touch on the real fact, one that everyone knows... there are preconceptions about what is valid and what is not, based on what is conventional/traditional and what is not. Even I am guilty of this. I am worried it would violate some norm to not cite actual funding (appearing like I say: amateur, informal, even unprofessional) that would invite undue judgement on the paper, deserved or not.

It sounds like you are “guilty” of a preconception that’s so unusual that most people aren’t even aware of its existence, let alone are themselves affected by it.

"Departmental support in the meantime" - then your department is your source of funding.

If you wrote your paper while working, the paper is funded by your employer. The paper would only be not funded if you wrote it entirely in your leisure time.

@Anyon Can it be some sort of statement by itself? like "this work was not supported by any funding, because the government does not care about science/humanities". I remember a paper having that kind of sarcastic acknowledgement, but I cannot find it.

@user4052054 Well, OP did clarify in a comment that some statement is required by the journal. If required and if the phrasing is fairly standard (maybe using the version proposed in Sursula's answer) most readers wouldn't read too much into it beyond what's written. As for sarcastic "unacknowledgments", some examples are here.

It doesn't look amateurish. In most journals I know, the phrasing is not "this work was not supported by any funding" but rather "this research received no external funding". And it is a pretty common thing to disclose.
At least in Germany, a lot of university PhD and other positions are funded through external grants. Any publication as a result of these grants would have to disclose the funding. Research done outside one of these grants, being disclosed nevertheless as funded by a grant (as you suggest) would be wrong - and borderline illegal. Especially if the scope of the research and the scope of the grant don't really overlap.
On the other hand, other positions are paid through money that the university receives from the government to provide free education. This is basically state funded research (thus no external funding). This does not devalidate any of the research in any way. By disclosing your affiliation with the university (which you do as an author), you basically disclose that you are funded - how else would you hold a position at a university?

"how else would you hold a position at a university?" It is not uncommon for people to hold unpaid "visiting" positions.

@mmeent Also, "independent researchers" do exist, even if they're often cranks.

@mmeent How about "credit-funded" undergrads?

One could have a full-time teaching position at a university, and not get any pay for research.

It looks amateurish to state that your work was not supported by anything. It is totally ok to just not say anything at all. Lots of papers are not supported by grants. That's likely also consistent with the journal requirements: the require you to list your sources of funding. The list just happens to be empty in your case.

"It looks amateurish"  I disagree.  It looks like you followed the (possibly pointless) instructions of an editor.

To clarify, if the journal requires a statement of funding and there is none - this looks like the author is not a career academic (or other possibilities raised in my question), with whatever baggage that might have? See Springer or Elsevier journals, which usually require this, even if the statement is "the author received no funding for this work"

As an example, in a lot of elsevier journals we see language directly like "You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement then this should be stated."

@rage_man But that's about something completely different. That refers to common statements like "This work was funded by the XYZ agency, grant No. 123456. The funder had absolutely no say in designing the experiments or writing the manuscript."


text:
Advancing my academic career in mathematics without university support
I am about eight months away from completing a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. I am what you would call a "non-traditional" student - I am an adult who decided to change careers and I'm pursuing my current degree online (read: I work for a living at the moment and have adult responsibilities). My school, despite having a physical campus, has zero support in the realm of undergraduate research or mentorship (this is no program for any student looking to do research). I've tried connecting with a number of my instructors, but as the program is exclusively online, it seems that they are not particularly interested in helping.
I hope to attend graduate school where I would also study Mathematics. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Ph.D. program, though I know that some schools do not offer Masters's degrees - I would opt for on-campus learning in either case. Since I have no support, I have no idea how to prepare for the application process nor do I have any primer for how to jump into the world of mathematical research. I have a superlative GPA and have aced all of my math classes, but this seems trivial when reading about how difficult it is to get into a graduate math program. I recently applied for a short-term research program for undergraduates (outside of my school), for which I was soundly rejected (I can only assume the many things about my background that seemed inadequate). I've tried perusing papers to get a sense of the research landscape, but all of it seems well beyond my abilities to dissect on my own. I'm in a really low place and it seems that things are quite hopeless. Does anyone here have any insight that might point me in the right direction?

You should begin by finding researchers at a university that fit your particular interest and reach out to them to express interest in pursuing graduate school with them as a supervisor. However, some of this depends on your ability to move because of your situation - can you move quite freely?

If you know that you want to go to graduate school, learning about the application process would be the next step. If you're not sure about graduate school, it could be helpful to ask current math graduate students about their experiences. You may consider reaching out to graduate students at a nearby university to ask questions.

If there aren't any nearby universities with graduate programs, you can also connect with graduate students online. For example, I'm organizing an online math mentoring program for Fall 2020 (https://sites.google.com/view/twoples), where undergrads are paired with grad students to work on a reading project for the semester. This is based on the Directed Reading Program that is run at many universities.

This is a pretty common question - you're not alone.  See for instance https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/8026/how-can-i-enter-into-the-mathematics-field-at-the-graduate-level-when-i-only-too/8030#8030 and the other questions that appear in its "Linked" sidebar.

You might like to look into postbac programs.  These are intended for just this situation - you've finished a bachelor's degree but without sufficient coursework / research experience / faculty relationships to be ready to apply to a PhD program.  They typically last one year.

Another comment is that you may want to narrow down what kind of program interests you.  In particular, you seem to be indifferent between PhD and masters programs, but they offer very different experiences and preparation, and moreover there is wide variance within masters programs (aimed at research, teaching, industry, applied math, etc).  If you can focus your goals more precisely, people can give you better advice about them.

@GrayLiterature Yes, I am very open and able to move. It's a very interesting suggestion that you bring up. I think I had the impression that I should only be contacting institutions once you are 100% set in your research path (with research/publications already under your belt). It sounds like you're saying that there may be some schools that are willing to work with people who seem driven/bright enough to add something to their program. Is that a fair assessment?

@DrewDias The expectation of having already been published prior to applying to graduate school is a bit outlandish, but perhaps not so much if you were applying to Ivy league and were exposed to research very early on. What I am saying is that you want to try and connect with professors prior and then apply to the program. The reason being is that you could apply to a math program, get in, and then realize they do not have any research areas that suit your interest.

I just read this and was very moved and wished I had read it at the time you posted it. I would have offered for you to work with me on some things. Perhaps the community should find some ways to think about a virtual undergraduate research program for non-traditional students...

Strictly speaking, you don't need undergraduate research to get into grad school in math. Most undergraduates (even most undergrads who do get accepted to PhD programs in math) are not able to do really interesting research, and are a bit embarrassed by the work they did as undergrads. However, mentorship of a faculty member is crucial. For one thing, they need to write letters of recommendation and really be able to judge your potential. But getting mentorship in a fully online program is hard. So, I echo the advice given in the comments to look into post-bac programs. Where I got my PhD, we had a non-traditional student who had done such a program and it helped her a lot.
Speaking of which, you might ask around to figure out which PhD programs have a history of accepting non-traditional students. I got my PhD at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. When I was a first-year grad student, there were others who had been high school teachers for years, some who had master's degrees, one (myself) who had skipped years of education and was super young, immature, and annoying, and one in his 70s who had a full career and grand kids, but wanted a PhD in math. So, that might be a program to look at for any reader who identifies as a non-traditional student.
Another alternative would be to apply for master's programs first and PhD programs later. It's usually easier to get into master's programs. We've sent many students to Miami University of Ohio, which has a good terminal master's program.

Since I have no support, I have no idea how to prepare for the application process nor do I have any primer for how to jump into the world of mathematical research.

It's good to take graduate level courses if you can, since success in those demonstrates likely success in your grad school qualifying exam courses. It's essential to take the math subject GRE seriously. That's one of the main ways universities will determine if you really learned in undergrad, or just got good grades because of grade inflation. It's good to cast a wide net. Even if you only apply for master's programs, I encourage my students to aim for 8-10. For a non-traditional student, 20 might be more appropriate. It would be good to write and rewrite your personal statement to really market your life experience as a positive for the program, and for the other grad students there who you will interact with.

I've tried perusing papers to get a sense of the research landscape, but all of it seems well beyond my abilities to dissect on my own. I'm in a really low place and it seems that things are quite hopeless. Does anyone here have any insight that might point me in the right direction?

I think this is not the best use of time. Don't expect yourself to already be able to do math research as an undergrad, especially one without a mentor. You can learn all that in grad school. Don't get discouraged! Focus on how you've been successful in the undergrad program. Trust that you have the potential to be successful in research, once you have proper mentorship and an environment to do it.

You mention that you connected with a number of instructors and it appears to be of no avail. Try contacting Academic Advising, a Dean of your Major or the head of the Mathematics Department.


text:
Interview for a mathematical periodical
I ("interviewer") am a mathematician and plan to publish an interview with another (very famous, much more senior) mathematician ("interviewee") in a periodical of a local mathematical organization.
I already recorded a rather informal interview/conversation (a few years back, actually) and we are now turning this into an interview-style text.
Two questions:

This text certainly does not adhere to any journalistic standards (which I am sure to exist) required of an interview. We now freely change order and contents of questions and answers to make the text clearer and hopefully more interesting; the interviewee can of course object to include anything of what was said and even add stuff that they forgot to mention in the original conversation etc. I do not desire to meet any journalistic standard but would like to avoid giving a wrong impression by calling the text "interview". Is there a standard disclaimer for such a conversation? Is it enough to just mention "this text is based on a conversation recorded in ... and edited in ..."? (I want to call it "interview" and not "conversation" or whatever.)

Who is the "author" of such a thing? The interviewer (who asks the question and types and edits it)? This seems to be the case in a "proper newspaper interview" (which this text is not). Or the interviewee (who provides the relevant part, the answers?) Or is it a joint work?

Have you looked at the several dozen interviews that have been published in College Mathematics Journal? See search1 and seach2 for some of these. These interviews have been collected together into (at least) two books (in fact, I have the two books in front of me right now as I'm preparing this comment), but for your purposes it would probably be better to look at the actual journal papers to see how what your asking was done.

This JSTOR search brings up many of the interviews I mentioned in my previous comment.

Great, thanks! It seems that for 2, it is possible to list as author (metadata) both {Interviewer, Interviewee}, and use as title/author combination in the actual document "An interview with Interviewee\by Interviewer". This seems very reasonable.

Jakob, (hi!) it seems to me many mathematical interviews follow the format you suggest. Equations, technical explanations, etc, are added when the original exchange is transcribed and edited. This is also the case for interviews in literary magazines, where the interviewee receives the text for editing and further comments, sometimes through several rounds.

(Although the question has answers in the comments, I'm providing an answer so that this question does not remain unanswered.)
Articles that are based on interviews with mathematicians published in periodicals of mathematical societies typically have the title "Interview with [interviewee]" and have the interviewer as the author (that is, the interviewee is not an author).
As an example, see Jackson, A. & Kotschick, D. (1998). "Interview with Shiing Shen Chern," Notices of the AMS, 45(7), 860-865.
The article starts with the note: "This article is based on an interview with Shiing Shen Chern conducted on March 4, 1998, by Allyn Jackson, with mathematical help from Dieter Kotschick."  Also note that aside from Jackson, Kotschick is also listed as an author of the article.  (See this.)


text:
Submitted conference paper with errors a short while back. How do I solve this?
BACKGROUND
I'm an electrical engineering graduate student.  I submitted and abstract to a conference and it was accepted.  This happened about 3-4 months ago.  Since then, I have mainly focused on other unrelated work.
CURRENT
The paper deadline approached and I submitted the paper.  About 10 days later, I realized there were a few errors.  These errors include plots which were left in the paper that I intended to replace with updated accurate plots.   So I submitted the paper with errors.
QUESTIONS
What do you recommend I do? Will this negatively effect my reputation with the conference?  How big of a problem is this?  My advisor was not happy with me for barely submitting this on time - so this mistake further complicates my problems.
Thanks

What do you recommend I do? — Correct the errors in your talk, and be more careful next time.

Depends on how serious the errors are. For ex. do they make your results invalid or factually inaccurate? However if for ex. you simply have new results that indicate that your techniques are more/less accurate by an additional 5%, then probably you should just sit tight and maybe follow JeffE's advice. Finally, also consider the impact this will have downstream. What happens if others in this field of research start building on top of these results of yours that you say contain errors?

Is this archival (as in, is going to be in a conference proceedings)? If not, follow @JeffE's advice. Otherwise, you need to contact the organizers and get it fixed.

Is the paper already accepted? If it hasn't, or even if the programme has not been finalised, you could send a corrected version to the editor handling the paper.

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


text:
Does resigning from industry job before probation / 'CV gap' reflect badly in PhD application?
I finished my masters (UK) in media studies last year, and hope to apply for PhD this year. I recently resigned from an industry job at a large MNC during probation.
It is an industry job which I intended to keep while preparing for my PhD application and gaining 'real world' experience (since my topic of interest is related to this industry). However it turned out I could not manage the heavy workload (12-hour days and long commute), researching schools, preparing for GRE and other tests, hence I resigned before I was a confirmed staff so I didn't have to give a longer notice, and hoped to get another job when I feel ready again. I believe I did make solid contributions while on said job; and have had industry placement in the same area during my undergrad years; if these are relevant.
So my questions are,

Would keeping this job which I quitted during probation on my CV reflect badly in PhD applications? Should I just not list it, and let there be a (almost a year long) gap? If not, how should I mention it?

I have this concern because many current students in top programs (US, UK, Europe) in my field had industry experiences, and I am worried I am not competitive enough.
My field is media and cultural studies.

Please ask one question per post. I've edited the secondary questions out of this one. You can ask the other questions (e.g. "what can you do now to fill the gap if you can't find a research assistant job") in separate posts if you like.

(1) Definitely mention it. Always keep your CV honest and complete. (2) I'm unfamiliar with your field; but in the fields I'm familiar with, a fairly casual "Was excited about opportunity, and to gain some industry experience, but my passion is academia" should be enough. A lot of people don't go straight from undergrad to Ph.D. - most of those worked in industry for a while to realize that they'd rather do research. I don't see how when you quit matters. Shouldn't be a biggie. (this is not commenting on whatever field-specific requirements or conventions you allude to)

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

Definitely mention it. Always keep your CV honest and complete.
I'm unfamiliar with your field; but in the fields I'm familiar with, a fairly casual "Was excited about opportunity, and to gain some industry experience, but my passion is academia" should be enough. A lot of people don't go straight from undergrad to Ph.D. - most of those worked in industry for a while to realize that they'd rather do research. I don't see how when you quit matters. Shouldn't be a biggie. (I'm not commenting on whatever field-specific requirements or conventions you allude to)