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What are all the types of scientific articles?
While doing some research I found some context where scientist A publishes a research article about newly generated progress they made in a field. Another researcher B, skeptical of this paper, publishes a "Review paper", and analyses what A has written. To which then A responds by writing an article titled as "Research commentary" to retort on the latter.
Throughout this development is where I had the question hit me, how many kinds of scientific articles are there? I am personally still on my first year of PhD research, so I have not yet published a paper or had to confront a journal, but I was still surprised to not see an exhaustive answer to this question here or anywhere else, to which I believe would be really beneficial to sorting and understanding articles and giving more context to state of the art research in any specific field.

Do some research and publish it - maybe it could be the seminal paper of the decade...

I don't think such exhaustive categorisation would be terribly helpful.
Note that the names given to "types" of paper are not defined worldwide, but depend on the journal or publisher.

Different fields (and even subfields) have different conventions; it may be helpful to specify which field you are interested in.

Requests for lists are "shopping questions" and off-topic.  In this case the list would be quite long.

And to add: I think you are misunderstanding what a review paper is supposed to be. A review is not there to rebut a specific paper your are skeptical of, but to summarize (or review) a specific topic based on published literature.

There is probably no exhaustive taxonomy. The options depend on the database. Databases of scientific publications usually contain the variable 'document type' (or so) in their metadata, and have a wide range of options for operationalising that type.
For example, Web of Science lists their document types here. They include, inter alia, 'Article', 'Biographical Item', 'Correction', 'Database Review', 'Excerpt', 'Hardware Review', 'Music Score', 'Reprint', and 'Retraction'.
Scopus has a smaller list; you can see its document types in this PDF on pp. 11-12.
ORCID likewise allows you to choose from many options regarding the 'work types'; see the list here. They include, to name some examples, 'book-chapter', 'dictionary-entry', 'dissertation', 'encyclopedia-entry', 'edited-book', 'journal-issue', 'manual', 'newsletter-article', 'supervised-student-pulication', 'translation' and 'working-papers'.


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Ghosted? PI of >1 year not responding to emails for new mentor?
I'm currently an undergrad who has been working at this lab for 1 year. In the beginning, I was pretty slow with research and I still make mistakes sometimes. For instance, it took me 4 months to get a western to properly work and 1 month to properly clone something. I'm not as bright as the other interns, but I learned a lot this 1 year about techniques and scientific knowledge. Granted, I don't know if I'm 'competent' enough for research.
Anyways, my research mentor (post-doc) left for a new position, and now I'm pretty much without a mentor. I emailed my PI for a new mentor assignment if possible a week ago, no response. My former mentor emails my PI and gets no response. Now, I decide to follow-up with him yesterday - still no response. So in total, 3 emails (2 from me, 1 from my former mentor) sent to my PI about this topic in the last week.
I'm not the closest to my PI. He seems always busy and I haven't spoken to him very often. However, it's unlike him to take a very long time to respond to emails, as he usually responds within 1-2 days.
Does this mean I've been ghosted by my PI/given a boot from lab? My former mentor told me that my PI would be willing to let me continue working, but I don't know if he was just saying that.
I'm not sure if I should reach out to other post-docs/grad-students in the lab and ask them if they can be my new supervisor mentor. So far, I haven't had much work to do so I've been staying back home and reading papers the lab has published/to see if any of interest. The other people in the lab familiar with my name; I hope they're not thinking about how stupid I am since I did make lots of dumb mistakes. I know the lab manager doesn't like me that much (one time I was giving a lab presentation and she was shaking her head), and usually she's the de facto person people turn for conflicts such as these.
What should I do?  I've been in a state of rumination about this for a long, long time. I'm really interested in the work of this lab.

Are you still getting paid?

Why not just visit them? If they're your PI, you should be in the same institution, and you can just go to their office.

@AustinHenley no, I figured to not enter in any hours from the time my post-doc left to now since I didn't do any experiments (none were planned for me).

@Allure I've never knocked on my PI's office before, I feel kind of scared/awkward doing that since he has a very cold, direct manner and rarely do post-docs/grad students knock without a meeting (and he hasn't been seeming to respond to my emails). Also, I don't know what I would say and how I would take it if I told to my face rejection.

Consider the possibility that the postdoc and the PI are discussing this without your participation.

Go and visit your PI. Knock on their door when they're in, and ask them everything above.
You write in a comment above that you feel feel "kind of scared/awkward doing that since he has a very cold, direct manner". Being scared should not be a deal breaker. Courage comes when you overcome fear! It's much more admirable to face what you're afraid of than to hide from it. Nothing critical will happen to you, and to have done something like this before is a great help if you have to do it again in the future, in less protected environments. As for how others don't knock without a meeting, you could knock and start with "are you free?" If he says yes then you're good, if not then you can arrange a meeting.
Finally you write that you don't know what to say or how you'd react to a rejection, which shouldn't be a problem. For the first, write down everything you want to know, and rehearse it beforehand. For the latter, if you are rejected, you're going to know in the near future anyway, and you might as well know now so you can make plans for what to do next.
It's better to be addressing your problems than to sit around waiting for the PI to respond. Go and visit your PI.

This doesn't sound like an issue that you can solve with email. A face to face with the PI seems warranted. But before you schedule it, gather information about what you have done and why it hasn't been successful. You need to be completely honest with yourself so that you can be also with the PI.
None of your actions seem to advertise that you are very much interested, nor that you are a hard worker. It may not be true, but it seems to have that signature. If it isn't the case, you need to figure out how to project a more active image.
Waiting is your worst action and it only makes you look disconnected.
One thing you can do with others in the lab is to explore their experiences. Are they similar to yours or quite different. If different, try to figure out why. Some of what you have experienced may not be your fault at all, but accept that some of it may also be.
But you don't need to call yourself dumb. That is a mistake that can only work against you. Everyone makes mistakes. Work not to make the same sorts of mistakes in the future. There is a thing called Imposter Syndrome (look it up). It is fairly common even among highly qualified people. Don't let it overtake you.
But the meeting should be soon and it should be face to face. Let him/her know that you are concerned about your place and how you can improve it.

None of your actions seem to advertise that you are very much interested This is a failing in the management (both the postdoc and the PI), not the undergrad. I wouldn't expect an undergraduate to have to tell their mentor to do their job.

@AustinHenley, nor would I expect it, but the student needs a solution and no one else seems to be breaking through the jam. If the student withdraws from participation it may be interpreted (fairly or not) as disinterest. Break that jam. Continuing to do nothing makes it worse.

Don't give up! PIs are often busy, especially now since it's the summer and they might be on vacation/conferencing. Even if typical response time is 1-2 days, sometimes the PI just won't be available to respond, especially if it's an issue that cannot be addressed with a one-line email.
I would start contacting other lab members to see if they have projects you could help with. The fact that you've been in the lab for a while and are enthusiastic about the research already make you a valuable asset (plus they don't have to start training you from scratch). Then, if you find someone you can work with, contact the PI again. If not, wait till the end of the summer and reach out then.

Your situation does seem stressful. The most you can do is to give the PI a chance to reply to your emails (maybe another week?) or make a visit to their office.
In the case that the PI doesn't get back to you soon, you can't let that ruin your opportunities to do research. Start looking for other potential research positions at your university. Of course, this may not seem ideal, but it sounds better than not doing research at all.

Okay, would it be unwarranted to email other members of the lab if they need help/would be willing to take on an undergrad? I'm not sure how this would look considering that my PI isn't directly involved in the conversation.

That really depends on your position and the lab structure. Would you still be getting paid? It seems like you're going rogue if the PI hasn't approved something like that, and could be a liability issue.

Pay is unclear. Should I reach out to the lab manager? One of the former lab techs in the lab told me she reached out to the lab manager for new arrangements when her supervisor left. The thing is, I feel like my lab manager looks down upon me.

@wonderfulgalaxies Definitely reach out then. I can't imagine your situation would get any worse.

Just emailed my lab manager, she said she'd help me find a mentor within my field of interest! She scheduled a meeting for me next week. If this doesn't work out, I have a list of other labs I'd be interested in on campus.

@wonderfulgalaxies Great! It sounds like you have really covered your bases and it is a good sign that the manager agreed to meet with you.

There are many other great answers, so I'm just trying to do a bit more introspection with you. :)

The project appeared to match your passion or interest to a very great extend, even though you're still quite new to this field of research, but you're full of beginner's energy (Page of Wands). Yet, for yourself, you suffered from a lack of overall organization of different components in the job (Reversed Magician). On top of that, there were a lot of fast-to-react situations thrown to you. Yet, as time went on, it diminished (8 of Wands, Reversed).
Tuning into now, the project overall is not reciprocating your love. If anything it's refusing to act out its displease (Knight of Cups, Reversed). And yet, from your own perspective, you are feeling contented (Nine of Cups), somewhat unaware of the overall situation. Perhaps you thought you have improved enough, or even you did, the project staff are not seeing it.
In the middle of all this, someone is doing something illogical or betraying. It could be your supervisor did not leave in a good relationship with the team, or there are negative stories going on behind you (7 of Swords); the situation you're facing now may not be just about your performance, but more of a system of issues.
Either way, in my opinion, the next key player would be likely be a person who has abundant control of the system, or likely a female (Queen of Swords). This seems to point to your lab manager. The outcome of the event is simply a guess, but a 3 of Wands indicates you'd gain a better balance in terms of your passion and interest. But either way, it's a strong "new journey" card so my guess is you'll join another lab, realizing that the good fit was not there.

Overall, my blanket thought is that you may have some distorted sense of where you're at and what you skill level is. You might be using very small signs (like the manager shaking her head) and extrapolated that into some opinions without merit. From the spread, and from the story you told, the lab manager is logically the next person to talk to, and you'll just have to prepare for a potentially harsh review. Use this conversation to i) get an overall evaluation for yourself, and ii) ask for recommendations on research/career paths. In any case, you'll grow; and if they end up letting you go, this would be a great opportunity to let them know that hanging people dry is not a good way to manage human resources.
It's just a little thought practice of mine so if I misspoke please don't mind me. But I hope this helps, and I wish you'd be able to get the positive parts from whatever outcome that would unfold!

Thanks for the insight! I've never had tarot cards read before. I'm interested by your statement, "Overall, my blanket thought is that you may have some distorted sense of where you're at and what you skill level is." Do you mind elaborating?

That's purely inspired by the cards, and I just suggested that as another thought exercise for you. It could be that you think you're getting a good hang of the lab techniques and such, but in fact there is still some distance from achieving a good level of mastery. I'd suggest try getting some objective evaluations from someone who has no vested interest in this issue. The lab manager could be a good point to start; she may still be too involved, but she seems less so compared to the PI and your ex-supervisor. If they do let you go, make sure to find some areas to improve on. Good luck!

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first round submission VS second round submission in academic conferences
I submitted a paper for an academic conference, and I have been accepted but the reviewer asked for modifications. But I am confused on when I should send the final paper (it's not specified on the notification of acceptance)
Here's what it's written in the conference website:

2nd Round Submissions:
Paper Submission: 30 August 2018
Decision Notification: 15 September 2018
Author Registration & Final Paper: 25 September 2018
1st Round Submissions:
Paper Submission: 10 July 2018
Decision Notification: 10 August 2018
Author Registration & Final Paper: 10 September 2018

So, do I send the final paper 10 September 2018 or 30 august 2018? Thank you!

Not knowing the actual system used, nor their history, I can only assume that if you submitted in the first round then nothing in the second round description applies to you at all. Your final paper would be due by 10 September.
It seems as if the conference, in having two rounds, is protecting itself against not having sufficient accepted papers in one round and so permits authors to send papers late for possible review.
If I'm correct, and it seems likely, they want the final paper before they need to make decisions about the second round on 15 September.
If they had wanted you to "resubmit in the second round" they would, I hope, be explicit about that and wouldn't have talked about your paper being "accepted".
You can ask the program committee for clarification, of course. But earlier is better in any case.

Maybe I'm mixing everything. I assumed that are also talking about a paper publication. but actually in the letter it's written "Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your above paper has been accepted for presentation at *** [...]to the conditions below. After you complete the requirements below, your paper will appear in conference proceedings and will be submitted to***.Extended versions of best papers will appear in ***journal". So for now i'm just accepted for an oral presentation (if i do the modifications) but not a publication ?

It seems clear to me. Use the Round 1 deadlines since you submitted to Round 1 originally. It also seems pretty clear that you will appear in print if you meet conditions - at least in the proceedings of the conference. It also sounds like some of the best papers will then be invited to write a longer version for the journal, but that would have completely separate deadlines - not the Round 2 deadlines. They expect an "expanded version" if that happens.

They sent 3 times the same email and add in the last one "We also hope that you will submit your excellent new work to the 2nd round submissions by 30 August 2018 ". So what does it mean? my work is not good enough to be in the first round submission?

@learneRS, I'm pretty sure that it means other work. Stick to the round 1 deadlines for this paper.

Thank you but i'm sorry i don't understand what you mean by "I'm pretty sure that it means other work". "other work"?

@learneRS, not this paper, but other papers that you might also be working on. They are inviting you to submit future work, it seems.

Thanks again. At this point sending them an email and asking is the best option

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Oral presentation or poster presentation, is it always our choice? (paper submission)
I submitted a paper for a conference and I was just wondering since it's a paper submission is it sure that it will be an oral presentation or they can still ask for a poster presentation?

What field is this?

biology/ medical/ imaging

That would depend on the conference itself. You need to read the fine print or ask the program committee. Some will either just accept or reject a paper (as corrected, of course). Some have separate poster sessions with separate committees and a different criteria for acceptance. There is too much variability to make a clear answer.
However, you should not depend on that happening at any conference. It is possible that if your paper is rejected, one of the reviewers might suggest submitting it as a poster. That of course would depend on due dates.

Actually I have already been accepted (not 100% sure yet I have to do some modification before) but they didn't specify anything ! here's what i've received: "Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your above paper has been accepted for presentation at [.....] subject to the conditions below". So is it an oral presentation ?

@learneRS Yes, if you fulfill the conditions.

The official conference scientific committee, frequently supported by a selected team of peer reviewers -- ...and a spoonful of politics... -- will ultimately decide on whether a submission should feature as oral presentation or a poster. Or not to feature at all (yes: conference submissions can be rejected).
Generally, oral presentations are regarded as "of higher status" than posters, thus fitting in as oral presentation might be more competitive.


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Personal qualities required for a career in academia?
I am looking to apply for research programmes after I complete my undergraduate degree. While I thoroughly enjoy research, I'm worried about whether this is the best field for me to pursue.
What qualities would one say are necessary to become a researcher - which of these are innate and which can be learned?
What are the things one should know about a career in academia?

You will not make a ton of money in general compared to standard jobs that will bring in a lot more revenue. At the same time a higher competence and creativity will be required than in standard industry jobs. If you are lucky, you will get to work in a field, and on a topic that you enjoy. On the negative side, sooner or later you will learn of the politics in science, and on various occasions you may get your results stolen. If you do too  well, you have to be careful - the people above you may feel their positions threatened. Source: my parents', and later on my anecdotal experience.

I think this question is far too broad to get good answers.

Persistence and dedicatedness...

All of this is helpful, thank you so much!

Required is a very strong word. There are a wide variety of people in academia, generally believed to be a good thing.
But some things are valued and more useful:
A love of ideas is usually preeminent. If you don't value ideas over money or status or material things, then you would probably be frustrated in academia.
An ability to think long term, rather than short. This is especially true in research fields, where results may take a long time to mature, or even to originate. Likewise a minimal, at least, tolerance for frustration when things don't go as planned in a research program.
Some minimal comfort in dealing with people in a cooperative way. Some, of course, can do without this, but collaboration is pretty highly valued today. But those with conditions such as autism can also do well, provided that they can learn to work with others effectively, even if not comfortably.
A work ethic that you can sustain. Reading, Reading, Reading. Making notes. Discussions with colleagues about ill-formed ideas. Long hours. Irregular hours. Dealing with interruptions.
Speaking ability is a big plus, and for many it needs to be learned as it may not come naturally. Along with it is an ability to organize ideas so that others can grasp what we want to convey.
Sensitivity for the fact that others, especially students, probably aren't like you and don't learn in the same way that you do. Undergraduate students, especially, are often less engaged and especially less engaged in the ideas you feel are most important. So, patience.
An ability to accept setbacks without losing hope or direction. Research often doesn't pan out. If it always did, it wouldn't be research. And then flexibility in finding new ways to truth when the ones you tried are failing.
In many fields, an ability to value nuance and the fact that others hold contrary opinions just as strongly as you do and the fact that the truth may fall outside your strongly held opinions. This is less needed, of course, in fields like mathematics where the standards of truth are clear. Philosophy, Literary Criticism, ... Nuance rules.
(Stopping for now. Some other ideas may induce me to extend this.)

"Even" in mathematics, tastes about "what is good mathematics" vary wildly and violently...

@paulgarrett, I thought about that, actually. What is "best" to study can elicit strong arguments. But I was limiting my answer to the standards of truth.

"Even" in mathematics, "standards of (convincing) truth" vary wildly and violently.

Hmmm, you and @paulgarrett run in a rougher crowd that I ever did.


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Conducting research as an undergraduate
I am an undergraduate and am about to begin the last year of my degree. I live in a country with very limited research opportunities for undergraduate students, and wish to gain research experience for a stronger application to universities abroad.
I wish to carry out a study on my own. I do not wish to include any supervisors as the faculty in my college isn't great and I don't trust them to have any valuable inputs. Frankly, including them would delay the process and involve a lot of back-and-forth and awkwardness around telling them I simply don't agree with how they want to do things. I have a couple questions.

Is it possible for me to send a paper for publication if I don't have a degree yet?
Will my research be seen as credible standing by itself with an undergraduate as its sole author, or would you suggest I include a professor's name in it as well?
Is it better if I have other co-authors, such as another peer in my class?

Finally, if anyone has any suggestions for how I could possibly gain research experience, I would appreciate that as well. I cannot approach my supervisors to include me in any research they're carrying out, and there aren't any research labs where I could intern.

I think you are very naive if you think you have a chance of your first work, without having any advice from anyone, amounting to much. Research is an iterative process where even experts make many mistakes and have to reevaluate.

what is your field? This will be very difficult in some fields, completely impossible in others.

@BryanKrause Not sure what you mean by "amount to much". But what I want out of this is to be able to show on paper that I have some experience in research. I wouldn't want to jump in something I'm not ready for and don't have the resources for, but I don't see another way. I'm open to suggestions.

@cag51 My field is psychology.

@tacendus From your comment to Buffy's answer it seems you plan to take the advice to get some guidance. I just want to reiterate that especially in psychology, where nearly anything you do is going to involve human subjects, it is very very important to not go ahead alone. Research with humans needs approval from some sort of overseeing committee, and you could be in quite a lot of trouble if you were to proceed without following all the correct steps. Best of luck to you!

@BryanKrause I'll keep this in mind. I won't go ahead without supervision. Thank you for taking the time to help me out!

To answer your questions directly, yes, you can submit for publication as an undergraduate or as a completely uneducated person for that matter. Science and other scholarship is about the work, not the author's credentials. It will be credible if it is credible, independent of who you are. But it needs to say something new and interesting to have credibility. It is more, much more, than going through the motions of carrying out a study.
The only real reason for having a professor involved is that you can take advantage of his or her experience in doing research, writing it up, and getting it published. The name and credential is, as mentioned above, not the important thing. Likewise, a joint effort with peers is valuable since it is more likely that a few minds working on a problem will notice issues that need to be addressed and come to a better result. Other than that - little or no effect.
However, if you don't have any experience in doing this, it is pretty unlikely that you will be successful in your first attempt given the time constraints. Learning to do research and get it published, like any other learning task requires both practice and feedback. Many people, even with more educational background than yourself will struggle to reach the point at which it can be done with any facility. Most of them (a few exceptions) have the advantage of being able to bounce ideas off of much more experienced people - feedback.
Of course, if you do write something up and submit it to a journal or conference, it will be reviewed. If it has any validity at all you will get feedback from the reviewers. Hopefully it will be constructive, but sometimes it is disheartening. But it is better to get some local feedback before attempting publication, just so you get the practice and wind up submitting things that need less "polishing" to actually be published.
Like anything, though, you get experience through practice. Early attempts may be successful, but for most it takes a few tries. But the practice needs to be tempered by feedback.
If any of your professors have published material, you might want to approach one of them with some idea for a study. Ask if they can guide you and give you feedback. Even if you don't reach the publishing stage, that feedback will be valuable in figuring out how to approach research and how to make it presentable. Someone with more experience is also more likely than yourself to have an idea about what sorts of things are ripe for research. It does you little good to work on questions already answered and it normally takes a lot of study to understand where the research "edge" is any given field. A more experienced person can help with that, showing you what is the most important thing to look at.

This is very helpful, thank you! To clarify, it's not that I haven't been formally trained in conducting research, and the only reason I'm hesitant to approach my professors is because I see the way they teach, stumbling over their words, contradicting themselves, panicky when someone asks a question. It makes me believe their concepts aren't clear. However, I suppose it can only benefit me to approach someone and ask for feedback. I agree with you in that I'm clueless as to what constitutes the "research edge", and my first attempt isn't likely to be good. Thank you for helping me out.


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Can I perform and publish studies on patented chemical compounds?
If a set of chemical compounds is patented by somebody else, am I allowed to perform studies (e.g. Pharmacophore, structure-activity relationship or QSAR analysis) on these patented compounds and publish the studies ? Provided that I'll cite the patent (as citing articles) but without having any type of permission.
Thanks

Patent law varies around the world, but in general doesn't prohibit study and discussion. Lots of things that are covered by patent are regularly discussed in popular and scientific literature. You don't need Apple's permission to analyze an iPhone, for example.
One of the reasons behind patent law, in fact is to make the essence of the thing known to the world. The patent application has to reveal everything essential on which the patent claim lies.
Patent is intended to prohibit you from reproducing the thing for most purposes, but you aren't doing that.


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PhD: Should I choose a topic out of a comfort zone?
I am accepted to a math PhD program and have a visit in a few weeks. I only have a few days to tell the university which professors I would like to meet.
Problem: I also still don't know what I would like to work on (which I stated explicitly in my SOP) and the departments has ~100 faculty members. I started to go one by one and see if I like what they do but what would make a good topic?
Reading the papers from professor A things look "easy", I don't know the solution to the problems but I'm in familiar territory: it is number theory, a junior high school could understand the problem, and maybe high school could understand some solutions.
The vast majority of the time, for other professors, I don't understand anything at all. Sometimes I have a clear disgust (seeing lots of integrals/computations), sometimes I feel it is too hard (Langland related algebra), ...
I wonder how discomfortable I should be with a subject? I would be sad to end a PhD with seemingly "no additional knowledge" (if I choose prof. A) but conversely I would also be sad if I struggle on something too hard for me or for which I have no appetite even after spending time understanding it. Finally I don't have enough time to spend hours on each professor's topic to see if I would like it.
What is a good way to approach this?

Are you excited about the research? That's more important than your comfort.

Only you can answer this. There are two kinds of risk here and the tradeoffs are yours alone to make. Different people would choose differently. I've voted to close since you have already laid out the dilemma and the risk. You can be a success or not on either path, but your actions would be different on the two paths.

@Gradstudent I felt the need to comment due to this double-up. Also, the correct plural is Thomasi since it's Greek. :P

Pick the ones who interest you to meet with.  Probably some function (topics I like, big names).  I.e. y= f(x,t).
Who you meet with is not going to make your final decision on what school to go to.  But for sure you need to meet with those who you think are seriously "in zone" for being your advisor.  You need that scoop.  I would even make a stink if you don't meet with a key guy (their time is limited but so is yours...you are only making on visit...have seen candidates get a breakfast or lunch meeting or at least meet with grad student representative).
In terms of what work you should do, I strongly recommend to do something you are confident in.  This stuff is hard enough so you need an edge.  Also make it something you are interested in.  This stuff is hard enough so you need some enjoyment.  See.  Multifactorial.  Not f(x) versus f(t) but f (both).  maximize, maximize.  but each variable needs to be above average.  Say above 7 on a 0 to 10 subjective.  Don't let a 10  on one allow a 5 on the other.


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PhD: admitted with TA with 5h a week, is it standard?
it is my first time applying to a (pure math) PhD program and I just received my first admission letter (yay!). It says I'm considered for TA and "Teaching duties consist to up to 5 contact hours a week".
Before applying anywhere I was under the impression that TA required ~20h a week. My question: Are they not showing some "hidden time" ? or do I have a special offer (=they "want" me)? Or is it normal for this university (GeorgiaTech)?
If it can make a difference, I'm 32yo/married so I'm thinking they might also want to be nice with me to accommodate for this "special" situation.

@Gradstudent thanks. ~20k/year and basically free tuition

You should understand that most pure math PhD students don't really have the knowledge required to do much serious research early on, so RAs are very rare for new PhD students, unlike in engineering or computing. Congratulations on your offer though!

I've been advised by my undergraduate adviser that when you need to teach 1 hour lecture you need to multiply it by 3 as the total hours you need to spend on this lecture.

Is being 32 and married a "special" situation? Seems like the norm to me...

@LightnessRacesinOrbit I mean starting a phd at that age

Still doesn't seem weird?

Only 5 hours of contact time a week!? Wow, what a dream!

"Contact hours" is standard jargon in academia for formal class time: hours when the instructor/TA and all the students are scheduled to be together.
So this basically means you will teach 5 hours of classes or discussion/recitation sections per week.  This does not count the time you will need to spend preparing your material for those classes, grading homework or exams, holding office hours, working in tutoring labs, responding to student questions via email or online forum, meeting with the instructor or course coordinator, and so on. (Although you are in "contact" with students during office hours or in a tutoring lab, the term "contact hours" doesn't include informal face-to-face time like this.)
Once all this is added up, I'd guess it will be around the 20 hours per week that you expected.
This does not seem to be a special offer.  I would guess it's the normal offer that all the accepted grad students receive.  (In any case, decisions to make someone a "better" offer, e.g. less work for the same money, would normally not take into account their age or marital status - most universities would consider that inappropriate or even illegal.  Such decisions would instead be based on academic merit and potential.)
As you consider this offer, you'll want to find out what's actually expected of TAs in this program, and how much time and energy TAs typically have to devote to their duties.  Most math departments invite accepted grad students to the campus for a 1-2 day visit to help you explore what they have to offer.  This would be a good time to ask about TA duties - ask the graduate coordinator about the official duties, and ask the current grad students what they actually experience.  Sometimes there is a difference between the two.

Thanks. I'm indeed invited to visit. Is it a time/good idea to negotiate to have a RA directly?

@Thomas: This is probably not something you can negotiate.  If they were willing to offer you a research assistantship or fellowship, they would have said so.  In math, research assistantships usually come from your advisor's grant money (if any), and so the only chance to have one is later in the program, when you are working on research with an advisor.

I'm a graduate student at Georgia Tech in mathematics. This is the standard offer that we all receive.  For most students, those 5 hours include:

2 recitations twice a week (2 hours a week each)
1 hour working in the math help centre (which doubles as an office hour)

Not included in those 5 hours are all the time you will be spending preparing for your recitation and grading quizzes and exams.
Some other things to note:

In your first semester, the school of math only has you teach a single recitation and the extra time goes to two training courses (one for teaching and the other for grad school in general). Those are about 3 hours a week combined (+ a small bit of homework sometimes).
Your first semester you will be teaching at 8 am (this is more of an issue for younger students than yourself, I imagine)
There's been a push to have grad students teach two sections for the same class (with the same instructor) which reduces the amount of time you need to prepare each week.
Because that makes scheduling more complicated, you may end up teaching late at night (5 to 7 pm). Or you could opt not to teach late at night but then you might have to be a TA for two different courses.

In my own experience, I haven't found the teaching load to be too burdensome. In part due to the efforts recently to have students teach two of the same class and merging the 1 hour in the math help centre with our office hours (which happened before I arrived).
If you have any questions, feel free to email me (you can find my email at http://math.gatech.edu/people). You can also email the current graduate coordinator, Mohammad Ghomi or the TA coordinator, Klara Grodzinsky.

Actually, five "contact hours" per week doesn't sound like a light load. The assumption is that you will also provide service to those students in other ways as well. A professor teaching two courses in a semester (six-eight contact hours) has a full teaching load and spends more time with "teaching" than standing in front of students.
So, I think it is about "normal" for such things, but don't expect that you only need to spend five "total" hours to fulfill your duties.
If you are an experienced teacher, the implication might be that they want to give you full responsibility for an elementary course - an instructor, with all that implies. Preparation, teaching, grading, office hours.
But, yes, they want you.

@Gradstudent: Time spent in a help center wouldn't normally be considered "contact hours", even though it's true that you are in contact with students during that time.  "Contact hours" usually means formal class time, when the instructor/TA and all the students are scheduled to be together.

@NateEldredge maybe it isn't "normally"  counted but it is counted at Georgia Tech (I'm a student there).


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How to deal with a supervisor who doesn't care research and students?
I'm in the social science discipline. This is the fourth year of my PhD. I'm in the process of writing up my dissertation. However, my supervisor is very lay back. He doesn't care much about my research. On average, it took 2 weeks for me to receive his feedback, but, sometimes, his feedback was not constructive. He often forgot what he said before and contradicted himself. I am very emotionally stressed. I hope to defend my thesis successfully and soon, but I don't see that happening. Any idea about how should I deal with him?

Have you been working with him for four years or just recently? Is he extremely busy? Does he treat you well other than your research? All would be important to know.

Thank you! I worked with him for 3 years already. I don't think he is busy, he just doesn't do much work. He is a very kind and nice person; he would try to be supportive, but he rarely fulfills his promises. He is also not very productive compare to his early academic years.

So, let's guess, an older professor, winding down from research and looking toward retirement. He likes you, but doesn't provide much of any help.
This isn't an impossible situation, unlike many others reported here. In fact, if his reputation, based on past work is good, you may be able to escape successfully and start your own career.
The essential things you need from an advisor is the willingness to sign of on your work so that you get a degree and the willingness to write you good recommendation letters for your first job at least. Anything more than that is helpful and, for some students more of a requirement than others.
It is possible to lean too heavily on an advisor for ideas and direction. Some students need that. But others can work on their own, or even find outside direction to bounce ideas off of and get some feedback. If you are self directed, or can force yourself to be self directed until you finish you can still wind up successful.
It would be a problem if he severely criticizes your work or says it has little value, but it is sort of common to be a bit uninvolved at the end of a career. Some of us are even a bit looney. But, if you can find a way to carry on and the "essentials" are in place then I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Keep him involved to the extent he is willing. Mine his knowledge as much as you can, especially for contacts elsewhere who work in the same field. He may be able to help you build a network, even if he isn't a lot of help on your research problem.

I would add a bit to this answer about using your whole committee for feedback, particularly in the socia sciences.

@Dawn, agree. Good catch.


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presented at a conference but don't appear in proceedings
What's the protocol if you present at a conference but aren't listed on the conference proceedings? As in, my advisor (when I was a doc student) submitted the presentation under her name, but I was asked to join and present. So my name is not attached anywhere, but I was there and presented the work with her. Can I list it on my cv? Or just leave it off and consider it good experience?

Have you contributed to the paper before attending the conference? Have you presented the paper alone or together with your advisor?

I think that you can include it in a special section - Other Contributions. Say what you have said here, but also have in your possession a letter from the author thanking you for presenting the work (or helping to present - whichever is more accurate) and for any contributions you made to it. The backup letter is essential and the classification of the contribution has to be accurate.


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I'm an accomplished person in my field, but don't have any degree. Would I be able to be a teacher or substitute?
As far as I'm aware, the base requirement to be a teacher or substitute requires a degree. However in my case, I've been working in my career field for going on 10 years. I'm wondering if it's possible to move to Academia, either part-time or full-time without having a formal college degree.
Lately, I've been having an "itch" to impart my own experiences and knowledge on students that are just starting out. I haven't decided on what exactly I want, but it could be anything from a guest speaker to teaching a full-time class.

At what level are you interested in teaching?  This site focuses on college/university education; if you are interested in teaching primary/secondary school, this is not the place to ask.  (I'm just guessing based on your use of the word "teacher" versus "professor".)

I'll note, however, that at the pre-college level, teaching is nearly always constrained/controlled by state law. You need certain credentials everywhere (or nearly so) to teach HS and below. But laws differ widely by State. Some permit exceptions for "private" schools.

You might look into extension programs or job-training organizations that more commonly hire experienced professionals.

For university education, 10 years sounds like quite a short time, though may be meaningful at some levels. Just to compare, people who have gone through the academic track will likely have 10 years experience in academia before going on to some sort of teaching role (not counting teaching assistantships of course). It would be different if you were one of the founders of a field 30 years ago where your lack of credentials means nothing compared to your experience.

Traditionally, most higher education faculty positions require advanced degrees and usually terminal degrees (e.g., PhD, MD, Master of Fine Arts) and lectures at universities often have master-level degrees.
Some universities now have "Professor of Practice" positions (e.g., UCSB for people with non-traditional backgrounds. (Hat tip to Buffy for this feedback).
Community/Technical colleges often have faculty with less formal education. Although faculty often hold PhDs, many have master's degrees. However, for some technical, trade positions less formal education is required. For example, browsing Google jobs for "welding instructors" show many positions that require an associates degree plus experience.
Usually, guest speakers have no formal requirements other than being invited by the course instructor.

Actually, in CS, and perhaps other fields, some quite fine Universities (Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Duke, ...) have a special track for educators, recognizing that undergrads need to be taught and research professors may not be the best teachers at that level. The positions are quite stable, though I don't know about tenurable.  The stated ranks include "Professor of the Practice". These positions are open to, at least, people with Master's degrees, though they are also held by some with doctorates. It is just a different career track. But I doubt that this would be open to the OP, here.

@Buffy Thank you for sharing that. I was unaware of that. I've updated my answer based upon your comment.

I would highly recommend contacting a department head at either a local community college, trade school, or university to see about being a guest speaker for a class. They are almost always looking for people to speak for their classes, and it'd be a great way to scratch that "itch" without having to leave your current position.
Beyond that,
It really depends on what you want to teach and where:
Anything K-12 you will need an appropriate teaching degree.
At a university, you will almost certainly need a degree. It can happen that they hire industry specialists, but they tend to be more guest lecturers than actual professors and teachers.
At a community college, things are often more grey. At the college I attended, a lot of the early courses were taught by a professor who did not have any degree, but worked in the field for about 15 years and had a proven track record. The College pressured him a lot to finish his Bachelor's degree, but he never did. However, he was an outlier, and was the only professor I knew of who did not have an advanced degree (Masters+), and he was near retirement when I was there. Further, the department head noted that the classes he taught were not transferable to four year universities, and focused primarily on industry certifications, which were then tested by independent third parties.


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Need ideas for postdoc application re support of sponsoring institution
I am applying for a prestigious postdoc in social sciences. I need to make a case for why the sponsoring university is particularly well suited to support me, and what unique forms of support it has to offer me. A representative of the postdoc informed the dean that the support has to go beyond what all postdocs receive. Thus I can't list "professional development" because all postdocs and grad students can access that.
The dean has offered me priority status for an internal grant of $5,000 to travel to conferences. What further types of support could the sponsoring university offer me that would advance the research, teaching, and committee work of a social science PhD?

I don't have an answer, but I would really like to have your question.

Here's some ideas about what you could ask for:

A course that is not generally available - such as a leadership program
Support to spend a few weeks at some other institution to build a relationship?
What do you need for your research? For example, funds for transcribing interviews, or a few months of a data analyst?

But it sounds to me like you are being asked not for a wish list, but for some thought about what is both relevant and unique about the university you are applying to. For example, is there a respected researcher in your field and you could spend some time working with that person.

This is a fairly normal part of grant applications that are meant to fund the development of an individual rather than a program of research.
An example I am most familiar with is the NRSA set of grants in the US for PhD students and post-docs in the biomedical sciences in the US. It isn't clear to me whether you are talking about an externally funded grant or a particular funded position at the institution you are applying to.
How you answer these questions is very dependent on your individual circumstance, but you are probably best of seeking some support from people who have written or assisted in writing similar proposals in your field, successful or not. Either your current institution or the one you would like to work with may have staff that are knowledgeable, or they may be able to find you someone who previously worked there that held that grant.


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How to deal with career breaks in CV
I am about to finish my first postdoc (2 yrs) and the positions and grants that I am applying to frequently require me to specify and explain any career breaks. I feel somewhat uneasy about this since I was out of work for a year and a half after finishing my PhD, due to the fact that I could not find a postdoc position.
During this time I was not able to do any science as I was not affiliated with an institution. I also submitted nearly 90 applications, almost all of which were tailor made. This required a lot of time and effort.
The 1.5 yr gap is the only stain on my otherwise good CV and academic track record. Any suggestions on how to approach this issue would be much appreciated.

What did you do during this 1.5 year period? It seems the issue might be finding a way to tell your story positively.

I mostly wrote applications and despaired about the future. I did travel with my partner to support them at the new place of work, but this was an effect rather than the cause of the gap.

I wouldn't bother to explain a break this short on your CV directly. I would instead just have a "canned" response ready when people ask you about it that puts a spin on it to look as good as possible. Something like:
"I wanted to make sure that I stayed in the field that I wanted to be in, and proper opportunities can be hard to come by, and short-lived. I applied for over 90 post-doc positions over that time, but decided that I wanted to make sure that I was open if the right opportunity came along, so I didn't take other work. Instead, I lent extra support to my partner as they started a new position, and made sure that the applications that I put out were top-notch."
Based on your question and comment, none of that is likely dishonest, it's just a nice and clean way to describe what happened in your life during that time. They really just want to make sure you didn't get bored in your field, but seems like you stayed engaged and dedicated to your field, so I wouldn't see it as a problem.

I would not explain this short break. When they ask for breaks, they usually mean breaks of 5-10 years.


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Can I mention that I want to pursue a PhD later, in my Statement of Purpose for a Master's course?
I am an international student and a certain university that I'm applying to for a Masters in Media and communication has asked me to state my career objectives in my home country. Now, I wish to pursue a PhD and continue in the same discipline after finishing my masters preferably in the same university. Should I mention that instead? The gist is that I have just finished one masters degree in my home country and have some part-time work experience but my long-term career objective is to pursue a PhD.

Welcome to Academia SE :) The application form asks you to state your career objective and your career objective is to pursue a PhD... it seems self explanatory to me, is there a reason why you think you shouldn't write that?

Being new to the process of grad school admission which is vastly different from what happens here in my home country, I was not sure about whether it is a good thing or not. The last thing I want to do is lie on my application and that, for me is a big no-no. So, I wanted to be as honest as possible and I wasn't sure how people react to something like that.

Yes, you certainly can mention it. Moreover, this is in many cases, a good sign. When I was on an admissions committee for a masters program, we  in fact looked favorably on people who wanted to do our program and go on to a PhD. This seems to be a common attitude; if students from a program go on to PhD programs that makes our masters program look good.


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Proper reply for an letter "We will soon contact you for an interview"
I applied for a phd position in a Austrian university. Then I got a mail which said "We will soon contact you for an interview" and I have been waiting for four days now.
Is it appropriate if I ask an update about the interview?

Polite-packaged rejections look very differently, then they wouldn't promise an interview. They would say some similar: "We are considering your application", "We forwarded your application to department/leader for further evaluation" (...until the eternity).
You can be sure that they have the intent to interview you.
You can't be sure, what is the intent of this interview. It might be also a pseudo-interview, where the decision of your application/rejection (second is more common) have been already long made. However doing it in the academian world with foreigners is unlikely.
Sometimes, not even rarely, such administrative tasks have a surprising long wait in the Academia, much longer as it would be realistic on the job market. It is because that world is not so strongly competitive.
The expected value of the time until you get an evaluable answer might be between weeks and months. You can significantly decrease it by asking them, what is now. Of course, you risk by it that you annoy them, what you likely won't do, but this chance is small. It is because probably not your interview is the only task with what they are in delay.
A politely packaged hastening mail could look like so:

First you wait so many time which makes obvious that you can already really have a problem. The two weeks mentioned by @Allure seems realistic in this sense also for me.
You mention some external circumstances on your side (you need to decide because X depends on it).
This external circumstance should be some very different that you have an offer from others, too, and you don't know if you should accept that.

If you have luck, they will think exactly (3). It will even increase your value in their eyes.

4 days is not particularly long. If it's cramping your decision-making - for example if you really need to know when the interview is so you can decide on a suitable date to schedule your marriage - then go ahead and ask, but otherwise I would wait a bit longer (up to ~2 weeks).


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Can one pursue multiple degrees via distance education mode in India?
Can one pursue multiple degrees ie two or more at the same time via distance education mode in India? Some sources say it is allowed since 2013, but some forum state that it is illegal.

Do you mean at the same time? Do you mean in different fields?

The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Development, Government of India says,

It is up to the concerned academic institution/university to recognize the qualification including certificate diploma, degree, etc. for the purpose of academic pursuit, i.e. continuing education for acquiring another academic qualification, with it. As regards recognition of academic qualifications for the purpose of employment, it is the prerogative of the concerned employer to take a view on the recognition of the degree, diploma, etc
(Last Updated by admin on Tuesday, 19 April 2016 - 12:27pm)

My interpretation of this is that it is up to individual institution/employer to recognize the multiple degrees.
According to Times of India Feb 2, 2013

According to the decision of the DEC communicated to UPRTOU. vice-chancellor Prof AK Bakshi, while a student cannot pursue two degree programmes simultaneously, he can do the same through distance or combination of distance and regular modes from the same or different university institution in various combinations.

So, I think the answer is, yes you can.
However, please double check this with the government in India so you can get an official answer. Please do not trust the strangers on Internet. Instead, trust your government.


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How to put website links in "Used literature" slide of the presentation?
I'm preparing a presentation for my class. Last slide should be the list of resources I've used for the material, e.g.

Sherwani N., Algorithms for VLSI Physical Design Automation, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2002, -C.1, -P.1-15

I've also used some Wikipedia material. How should I write it? Like this?

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_design_(electronics)

No. Websites change. You should include information such as time, date, version, etc.
For Wikipedia in particular, you can read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_Wikipedia#Examples_of_how_to_cite_Wikipedia
For general websites, similar ideas apply. Remember to appropiately cite dates, author names, and possibly also titles for the website content (e.g., if it's a blog article, the blog title should be included). Never just post a link, that's horrible style.

by the way, I'm not an English speaker and my presentation is in my native language. When referencing the topic, e.g. "Physical Design": Wikipedia..., etc. Should I write these in English or my native language?

For general websites, also make sure to archive the website on archive.org and archive.is and any other similar places you're aware of.

@user3132457 Use the language of the site itself. In some cases, I have seen translations added along with the original title, but I am from a country where English is well-understood so I am not sure how common that is.


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What to do about advisor with history of possible plagiarism?
Recently, my MS advisor instructed me to submit a conference paper.  They outlined what this paper would include, which would be a simulation study that is a near duplication of a ten-year-old published journal article (from a different group of researchers) that I have been reproducing results from for learning purposes.  They said to omit citation of that journal article for the initial submission, and add it in the final draft if the conference paper is accepted.  From a professional integrity standpoint, I have no intention to do this.  I plan to write a paper that extends the results, and to include the citation in all drafts.  I am unhappy that my advisor instructed me to essentially plagiarize, but plenty capable of not doing so, so I wasn't going to make a fuss about it.
However, in my literature search for writing my conference paper, I stumbled across Paper A that is extremely similar to one of my advisor's papers, Paper B.  Paper A has different notation, but the same equations and results, published about 30 years earlier than my advisor's paper.  Paper B does not cite this older paper, but does include a new simulation example in additional to the similar material, so it is not a complete copy.  In light of their recent request to me, I am suspicious of my advisor's previous publications, and uncertain how to proceed working with them.
Should I show this older paper to them and ask about it?  Should I report this to some higher authority?  Is this a relatively common occurrence that I am overthinking?  I do not rely on my advisor for funding, but I would not be thrilled about sabotaging my thesis by starting drama with my advisor.  I would also not be thrilled to sabotage my future publishibility by working with a serial plagiarizer.

First, don't assume that it is plagiarism without more evidence. Parallel research is very common in many fields and a 30 year old paper may not have been well known in the time frame your professor wrote his/her paper. It may well be plagiarism, but it isn't necessarily so.
It is appropriate to point out the newly found paper to your advisor and gauge the reaction, but it is premature to "complain" to higher authority without solid evidence. You are correct to be wary. But showing it to your advisor could be just an "oh by the way, I came across...". Depending on the reaction you may learn more about their general attitude.
It would, indeed, be unfortunate to have to work with someone with poor ethical standards and if your suspicions are verified you might try to move to a different advisor. This is less critical at the MS level than it would be later, but as long as you preserve your own ethical reputation, you should be fine.
But, certainly, the recent instructions about omitting a reference are problematic. It is possible to write a valid paper reproducing and verifying old results without crossing ethical boundaries. But the work clearly needs to be presented that way, rather than as an innovation. If the referees are up to date in the field, such obfuscation may be caught to everyone's detriment.

I think OP needs to be warned off more strongly. It is quite possible that the superviser didn't know about the earlier paper. However, leaving out a - known - citation with the intention to cover one's tracks later is clearly not in good faith. They should probe how their superviser reacts to leaving the citation in and see how they react. If the superviser insists, the OP should seriously consider switching groups or they, too, will be tainted by the supervisor's lack of ethics.

I don't think we disagree @CaptainEmacs. There are warning signs, certainly.

I just want to make a clarification regarding plagiarism.
Not citing relevant work can be considered sloppy, ignorant, unprofessional or even deceptive (especially if done on purpose to increase the apparent novelty of a paper). However, it is still different than plagiarism. Unfortunately, not citing relevant work is quite common (both unintentionally and intentionally), and as far as I know it is not considered to be a huge breach of ethics in the way plagiarism is. Plagiarism is much rarer and considered to be a very serious issue.
So you have to be very careful and not immediately jump to conclusions regarding plagiarism.
Regardless, this does not sound like a good research environment long-term.

Intentionally not citing, in my personal opinion, is almost on the same stage as plagiarism. In both cases, one deprives the earlier author of their credit. Especially since it is not always easy to disentangle how much the current author was influenced by the earlier work. Unintentional duplication, on the other hand, well, that does happen. Unfortunately, the latter often serves as plausible deniability for the former.

@CaptainEmacs I agree there is some similarity between the two, hence the confusion of OP. But, it was important for me to clarify that there are different things: If someone performs an experiment and publishes it, but fails to acknowledge earlier relevant work, this is clearly not plagiarism. I am not making any judgement about what is ethically worse. Practically, I don't think anyone will lose their job or have a paper retracted because of not citing relevant work (even if intentional), but this is very likely in case of plagiarism.


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What master's degree is recommended to study at a university for establishing a start-up?
I studied for 3 years computer science at a relatively good university, and at the same time I have several years of experience with broad and deep knowledge in many fields on the subject. I am a creative person and I am interested in expressing my Innovative ideas by setting up a start-up from scratch which will bring a technological solution to many companies in high-tech.
I wanted to ask in general what it is recommended to study for a master's degree so that I can bring the product that I can build independently through my knowledge of computer science and experience to a successful start-up company?

Majoring in Entrepreneurship can be a suggestions.

Talk with someone who has been involved in a start-up, one akin to what you have in mind, before committing yourself to a new degree. He or she will have invaluable information for you.

https://workplace.stackexchange.com/q/171411/2952

Given that a start up is a business and your education is elsewhere, it would probably do you well to get some specific knowledge of business and the regulations that typically govern business. An MBA might be appropriate if it is focused on entrepreneurship. Economics is probably not what you want, being a more theoretical course of study. Marketing might be an alternative. But it would depend on the particulars.
You can hire business experience, of course, once you have some revenue or can talk people in to working for nearly nothing, but lack of knowledge yourself might mean you need to trust them more than is wise.

Master degrees vary from each university, so in general I would recommend Management. Management is a good basis for organizing and leading a company. Once you know that, you can employ other people to do the more specific jobs, like accounting/finance, marketing, etc.
In some


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Email to all potential supervisors listed on application
I submitted my application for grad school with some professors as my potential supervisors. I have never contacted them prior to my submission.
Days ago I sent an email to one of them and asked him to take a look at my application and later he invited me to an interview. Interview went well but at the end he said there are some other candidates that he is interested in and he would interview them too. So I have to wait for the admission committee decisions.
In this situation, is it wise to contact other professors listed in my application and present my case to them? Some of them are working in a similar field to this professor and others have different research interests.
Please note that in my statement of purpose and CV, I mentioned my research goals which are inline with these potential supervisors' interests.

Since you say "my application for grad school" (singular), are these other professors at the same university/department? Departmental politics might influence the answer in that case.

I am not sure that all professors listed on application automatically got notified about my application. Since the university online form was somehow weird and has a textbox for list of professors. (not checkboxes or list boxes)

@Anyon: Yes, they are all in the same department (CS) and have similar research fields.

Yes, you should keep looking until you get a commitment. It would be unwise to delay. I'm sure the person you talked to isn't expecting you to ignore other possibilities or follow up on them. Otherwise you would have gotten an offer.
Of course, you may be in a place where actual admission isn't in the hands of advisors, but a committee. In this case, no one can properly "accept" you until the larger institution does. So all offers in such places, from potential advisors, are tentative. Other places, the advisors accept and hire students, but even there, until you get a commitment, keep looking.
Of course, you need to be honest, when asked, if you are following up other leads.  They will likely be aware, of course, since they know each other. This can't hurt you, and might even help.
If you are in a position to visit the institution in person, you might consider doing that and speaking to some of these professors. Email is much less effective in this sort of thing.

Agreed. Would add that a phone call is reasonable if visit unfeasible.  (Younger generation sometimes doesn't consider to pick up the blower.)  That said, this newfangled email thing is nice for getting preprints/reprints instead of the thing in the mail...

Yeah, it's a good idea.  It's not purely (or even mostly) to help your application.  This guy might be your advisor (which is a decision from each end).  Plus it's just networking, learn about his work and all.
I would not be put out if he has minimal time or refers you to a grad student or postdoc in the group.  Especially if he has a big group, he has a lot to do and doesn't even know if you will be coming to his school or not.
I wouldn't canvas the waterfront, but I would reach out to a few (3?  5?) of the choicer options. Not just at this school but others.

Dear Professor X:
I am a rising senior at Enormous State University, applying to mechanical engineering Ph.D. grad schools, including SuperIvy.  I noticed you in particular because of your work in ball bearings. (I did some undergraduate widget research at ESU.  Just love the little metal shiny thing field of engineering.)
Would love a chance to chat with you briefly or someone in your group.  Like to learn about what you are doing and get any suggestions as I go through movement towards Ph.D. programs.
Thanks in advance.
-Juin

Your sample seems a bit "flip" and unserious. I think it unlikely to attract much attention in that form.

I think it is a good idea to contact other professors on your list. It is better to see that you're doing something to pursue.


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Potential advisor ask for a paper review as a part of interview process, any difference between journal and conference paper?
I am applying for graduate studies in CS, and one of my potential advisors asked me to review one of his papers (listed on his homepage) and send him back a single page report. (discussing strengths and weaknesses)
As long as he did not specify journal or conference paper, is it appropriate to pick one of his conference papers? As it is shorter and regarding the deadline he set for me (1 week), I might be able to analyse it better.
Does it create any negative image of my work and research?

Actually, in CS, conference papers are treated with great respect. Much more so than in some other fields. In CS, most new results are presented in conferences and the proceedings are very important.
So, contrary to your worry, picking a conference paper would probably be preferred.


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Using the same control pictures/data in two different papers
:-)
We would like to ask a question of general interest, as it might be the case in other studies. It is the first time I stumble upon this situation.
In our research, we have used the wild-type of a microbial strain and mutants for about 7 distinct genes. They were all subjected to different treatments and assessed by the same response variables. The seven genes, however, are not strictly related to each other, so that 3 of them as a group make-up one story, and the other 4 make-up a different one (thereby, two distinct manuscripts). The reason why they were all worked together (the wild-type and the mutants for these genes) were simply logistics and efficiency of resources usage.
One of the authors are concerned with the fact that for both papers with different groups of mutants (hence very different stories), the wild-type controls were the same!  Therefore, he is afraid that using the same pictures and data in this case would configure a self-plagiarism issue between the two manuscripts.
Could you please help us on deciding whether this will indeed be an issue, or not?
Thank you very much in advance for your kindness and attention to this matter.
Best regards,
Dr. Leandro.

Hi Dr. Leandro, it is good practice in SE communities to provide some feedback, e.g. at least by voting and choosing the most useful answer.

Ordinary plagiarism is avoided because it tries to claim ideas and words as your own when they are due to another. Citation, on the other hand, is to let scholars find the original source of ideas along with the context of the development. So a citation isn't just to a person, but to a work.
Self plagiarism is a bit different. It is to be avoided, not because another person's work is appropriated, but because it makes it harder for other scholars to see the complete context in which ideas are developed. This is similar to citation in the ordinary case.
Is there any reason why your papers can't cross-cite each other? A note somewhere in one or both can point to the fact of the overlap, letting another researcher find any additional context they need for understanding whichever paper they are reading. This fulfills your duty to be both honest and helpful.

This is a recurrent issue in biological sciences, and seeking for peer advice is a commendable step. Most colleagues would just move on while trying to conceal the fact that the results of two different manuscripts have a significant overlap.
My general advice is quite simple: focus on the scientific outcome of your research and aim for robustness. Transparency is essential, so that others judge whether they can trust you. Give your readers & peers all they need to follow your steps and rationale.
In short: as long as you explicitly declare the overlap and you unbiasedly trust it cannot affect your conclusions on both papers, I think you should be just fine.
Of course, independent controls and higher numbers of repetitions are always better for more representative results, and there will be always those who will not appreciate your "strategy". You cannot please everyone. Rest assured many of your critics include those who just don't like the concept of transparency.
Can you publish both papers in the same journal? Consider depositing all raw data in the same repository, to be linked to both papers.
Good luck!


text:
What does it mean to have a low quantitative but very high verbal/writing GRE for stats PhD application?
I am applying to statistics and biostatistics PhD programs for next year, and I just got my GRE scores back, and they weren't at all what I expected.
I ended up with a 159V/156Q/6.0AW, which corresponds to 83rd/61st/99th percentile in the verbal/quantitative/analytical writing sections, respectively. So, I have a combined score of 315 with a 6.0 writing.
I understand that most statistics programs place a premium on the quantitative score, and so I am a little worried about my low quantitative score, but I am wondering if the relatively high verbal/writing can offset the weakness there.
For some idea of what kind of student I am, I have about a 3.5 GPA with an applied math major, with a full course in real analysis, mathematical statistics and some graduate level regression theory, and potentially an honors thesis (pending). Since my scores are so atypical compared to other applicants (who typically have much stronger quantitative and lower verbal/writing), I am unsure of what my score means for my application as a whole.
I suppose the question of "do stats programs care?" can be generalized to "do quantitative programs care?". While I see there are some threads on low quantitative scores, there aren't too many about a low quant score combined with a high(er) verbal/writing score.

Did you do any quantitative practice tests?

Most programs have a minimum threshold for GRE scores, and I'd be very surprised if you pass that threshold. I'm applying to engineering programs and most Top 25 programs require atleast 165-166 on Quant. For someone who's applying to statistics, I would aim for at least 90% percentile (166). It's very easily doable, just do a few practice exams and practice problems and I'm sure you can pull it off.

Quantitative programs typically ignore the analytical writing and verbal scores, or give these very low weight relative to quantitative. You can retake the GRE and try to get a higher quantitative score.
The math courses and GPA may compensate for a low quantitative GRE score - you should call attention to these in the application. However, there will be many competing applicants with high GPAs, math courses and a strong quantitative GRE. So don't expect too much.


text:
What counts as a research experience in mathematics?
I am applying for some scholarship that requires applicants to write about previous research experience.  As the application will be reviewed by the people of my field (mathematics), I would like to understand what do people count as research experience.  I have heard some people mentioning that research experience in the undergraduate level does not require original research, it could be of the form of summer projects (reading papers/books), dissertations (with/without original materials), going to conferences, organizing learning seminars and presentations etc.
Are all of the things I mentioned research experience?
Thanks in advance.

As you say, some people accept those as research experience, but would you be expected to have completed novel or original research - most likely not at this point.
But perhaps what they are looking for is relevant activity in the field, and if you are active with attending or organizing seminars etc etc then that may be what tips the balance in your favor compared to some other application.


text:
Can a professor take a full-time 12 months industry job (get fully paid) while on one-year sabbatical?
Assuming the home university only pays 1/2 of 9-months salary in the period of one-year sabbatical.
Can it be legally allowed? or does it violate any rules in general? What would be the worst consequence if doing so?
Thanks.

Yes, that question is the same or very similar, but it was not effectively answered.

Hi walksouth, the reason that the other question might not have been properly answered is becasue the answer to your question is specific to the country and institituion you are working at. You, yourself are asking "Does it violate any rules" and "can it be legally allowed?". We can't answer this without knowing the specific rules of your institutions. Therefore the anwer in the other question is correct insofar that "Ask your institution" is the only reasonable advice we can give you. Only they know what is allowed and what is not.

I see. Thanks. I mean "US universities". I checked the faculty handbook of my university but failed to find any relevant information (to this question). That's why I asked here to see there exist any "general" rules for such cases at US Universities.

The only legal rules that are likely to apply here are the contractual rules for the terms of the professor's employment with the university, combined with the university's policy/contract relating to sabbaticals.  Whether or not this is allowed would depend on the terms of the sabbatical, as set out in the appropriate university policies and employment contract.

It is possible; ask your HR department whether it is possible for you.


text:
How to reference when initials changed?
I changed my name, so that I now have the initials F. A. Lastname. For many years I used F. Lastname. If I now want to refer to a publication where I used F. Lastname, should I respect my change of name, or the name used in the publication?

Use an ORCID iD.

@JoelReyesNoche How, do you mean, in a reference as follows? Lastname, X. 2012. Title of Paper, in Title of Journal, 74/3, 112-122.

What I mean is, to tell the world that F. Lastname and F. A. Lastname are the same person, you associate each with the same ORCID iD.  (My suggestion was not meant as an answer to your question.)

Firstly, the reference should be listed in such a way that it is easy for the reader to find the publication. I would therefore recommend to use "F. Lastname" if this is what is listed on the original publication, to avoid confusion.
There may also be automated systems that are unable to count references correctly, because they may assume that "F. Lastname" and "F.A. Lastname" are different authors.
To give an example: it is common that women who changed their name after marriage still publish under their maiden name to prevent a "split" publication record.
However, if the reference contains enough information to identify the publication and you feel bad every time you need to use your old initial, you may choose to refer to the paper with the new initials. I would not advise this for the reasons given above and probably spend more time checking the reference when looking it up, but I would understand, and so would most of your readers.

"women who changed their name after marriage" Not only women, obviously.


text:
Dedication on submission?
Suppose I had a professor X Y who was prominent in my field. May I include the dedication "To my teacher professor X Y" in a submission, for a journal which practices blind submissions?

I would wait until the paper is accepted. (Or you could ask the editor.)

You can probably edit that in after review when/if the paper is accepted. Very few papers are published in the form originally submitted. But, as Ethan Bolker notes in a comment, you can also ask the editor.
You could also obfuscate it in the original submission: Dedicated to "omitted", perhaps.

Thank you very much for the obfuscation suggestion!


text:
Asking for a reference years in advance?
I am currently an undergrad and while I am attracted by research and a career in academia, I am on scholarship with a government body in my country and am contractually obligated to complete a 6 year bond in the civil service. I am allowed to complete a Masters degree before then, but not a PhD.
While I have accepted the fact that I won't be able to take the time-tested Bachelors-Masters-PhD route, I still think that there might be a chance that I might want to apply for a PhD program 6 years later, long after I graduate from university.
However, I'm worried about my ability to produce strong academic references by then, especially since my professors would probably have forgotten about me. Would it be appropriate for me to ask my professors to write a reference for me now, while my abilities are still fresh in their minds, so that when I do decide to apply they would only need to make minor adjustments? (And if I do this, should I request to keep the letters myself, or should they be the ones safekeeping them for me?)
It seems a little weird to ask for a reference so far in advance, especially since I don't know for sure if I would be returning to academia. Would I be better off asking them for a references only when I do decide to apply, possibly years down the road? I might perhaps try to keep in contact with them over the years so they don't forget me, though I'm not too sure how this might be done.

What country are you studying in?  Practices around letters of recommendation vary around the world.

I am studying in the UK! Though of course, I'm not too sure where I'd want to go for further studies as of yet

There is really no reason not to do this. I would suggest that you either get a reference sealed in a signed envelope, or, possibly even better, have the professor(s), leave a reference letter with the department office (secretaries) with instructions to send it out on request. The recipient will want some assurance against forgery, of course.
It is usually important that the date that the letter was written be included on it, so that it can be balanced against other, more recent things.
Unless you have several sealed copies, you will also need a protocol for resealing it and returning it to you.
When you ask the professors, explain the need as you have done here. I doubt many would refuse.
Another option is to maintain contact over the years. Some professors welcome this (others may not). Many like to hear from previous students with a quick update on successes and plans.

At the college my daughter attends, the career center (the folks arranging the on-campus interviewing, GRE test scheduling, resume editing, etc.) offers as a service putting recommendation letters into 'escrow'. You ask for a letter of recommendation from a professor, they write it and deliver it directly to the career center folks, and they place it on file to send out in the future as requested. It does not pass through the hands of the student, and would come directly from the college.
Her usage case is somewhat different, where she asked for a letter of recommendation from a professor who was experiencing some major health issues last year as a hedge against things turning for the worse.
So, check with your institution to see if they offer something similar.


text:
Postdoc interview follow-up: HR or PI and how should I approach the conversation?
I had an interview about 4 days ago for a postdoc in Scandinavia. The interview went well, from what I could tell, and the committee seemed approving and pleased with my answers.  I am thinking of following-up tomorrow, requesting info on the timeframe for a decision. Should I contact the PI or HR rep who was there for the interview as well? Any suggestions on content?
I know they are choosing between 2 candidates so is 5 days too early? I already attached support letters so I'm unsure what happens now in the process. Every day that passes, I get discouraged because this is a project I'd really love to work on.
I would appreciate details regarding the post-interview etiquette and process and usual time-frame in Scandinavia. Thanks in advance!!

You could contact both, actually, but differently. It is probably early for them to make a decision (scheduling meetings, perhaps), but not to early to follow up with the PI to give thanks for consideration and ask a bit more about the position and the work if you have any remaining question. You can also, safely, express your enthusiasm.
But pressing them for an early decision is probably a mistake.
HR, on the other hand could be asked about the typical length of time for decisions. I assume they are not as invested in the decision as the PI.


text:
Publishing data under Creative Commons license: CC0 or CC-BY?
I am submitting a data article to an open access journal, with the data available in a repository (Open Science Framework). I need to add a license to the data repository. It seems from some internet research that the CC0 would be the correct option for a data set, but I have a hard time finding the difference between CC0 and CC-BY licenses.
So I have 2 questions: first, would CC0 be appropriate, and secondly, what is the actual difference?

Welcome, but I think you're posting on the wrong site. Maybe try https://opensource.stackexchange.com/ instead?

On the contrary, I think this is an excellent place to ask this question. It isn't about open source code, it's about open data - something that many in academia should be concerned with. Since there isn't, so far as I know, an open data site...?

@Flyto: There is [opendata.se], but the existence on other sites does not affect what is on-topic here.

People often say "If you use the data set / program / tool, consider citing [our paper]". This is more in the sense of CC-BY.

@OlegLobachev CC-0 does not waive the expectation that a researcher should cite all sources, including data. See also https://datadryad.org/pages/faq#info-cc0

@OlegLobachev  Licensees deal with copyright (and sometimes patents). Citing work deals with plagiarism and giving due credit. One still must cite things in the public domain, or even one's own prior work.

Caveat: This is my understanding, I am not a lawyer.
CC0 is not really a license per se - it is a declaration that you waive copyright in the work and place it in the public domain. From that point anybody can use it for any purpose, with or without attribution, and they owe you nothing.
By contrast, with the other Creative Commons licenses you retain the copyright in the work, and you grant others a license to use it. CC-BY is the most permissive of these licenses, in that the only stipulation placed upon usage is that you are identified as the creator of the dataset. Beyond that, anybody can use it for any purpose.
As you'll have noted there are more restrictive CC licenses available as well.
In practice, the only difference between CC0 and CC-BY is whether you want to retain the legal right to be acknowledged as the originator of the data. Since academic integrity would demand that this happens anyway, and since you're unlikely to take somebody to court if they don't do this, it probably makes little practical difference.
If you work for a university or other institution, do make sure you understand who owns the copyright - it may be them, not you, and they may be a lot more fussy about this choice than you are!

Thanks, I think that clarifies it a bit. I say "a bit" because my data set is a bit tricky. It's partly data collected by the team on the project (so that's original data and I'd go with CC-BY), but also derived data from other sources for the specific locations (i.e. information from satellites such as vegetation indices). I'd think the latter is probably CC0 because we didn't really 'create' that data - we just downloaded it and tailored it to our site... I like your suggestion of checking with my institution though, I will accept this as an answer.

CC-0 is considered the best choice for scientific progress because it lowers barriers to reuse.
Dryad has a nice and compelling explanation of why they require CC-0 in their FAQ https://datadryad.org/pages/faq#info-cc0
Here is one excerpt:

CC0 does not exempt those who reuse the data from following community norms for scholarly communication, in particular from citation of the original data authors. On the contrary, by removing unenforceable legal barriers, CC0 facilitates the discovery, reuse, and citation of that data.

direct link https://blog.datadryad.org/2011/10/05/why-does-dryad-use-cc0/

According to creativecommons" CC0 enables scientists, educators, artists and other creators and owners of copyright- or database-protected content to waive those interests in their works and thereby place them as completely as possible in the public domain, so that others may freely build upon, enhance and reuse the works for any purposes without restriction under copyright or database law."
As for CC-BY, It requires attribution of the original author. As per wikipedia page Creative Commons license this implies the following:

Include any copyright notices (if applicable).
Cite the author's name, screen name, or user ID, etc.
Cite the work's title or name (if applicable), if such a thing exists.
Cite the specific CC license the work is under.
Mention if the work is a derivative work or adaptation.

I'd add a last line, "choose the one you want".

Note that an academic researcher would still be expected to cite a CC0 dataset in any derivative works.


text:
what is the impact factor of "npj Precision Oncology"
How can I know the most recent impact factor of "npj Precision Oncology" journal, as I do not seem to be able to find it online.
Other related questions on StackExchange do not answer my question.

For all such questions, go to Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and search for the impact factor. If you don't find the journal then it doesn't have one.
In the case of this journal though, you don't need to search JCR. It says on the website that the journal has been indexed by ESCI (Emerging Science Citation Index). This is a lower-ranking index, and if the journal has only just been indexed by ESCI, it certainly hasn't been indexed by SCI and SSCI (which are the indices that yields an impact factor). In other words, you can tell without searching that this journal does not have an impact factor.

This is not entirely correct: "SCI (which is the index that yields an impact factor)". Journals in SCI as well as SSCI receive an impact factor.

@RafG indeed, was thinking only about science journals. Edited.