text:
Journal refuses to cancel submission
Quick one, I have submitted a paper for review to a springer journal (no need to name shame the specific journal here, but clearly it has a major publisher behind them), after 4 months, there hasn't been any update. I have followed up with the editorial office a few times in that period just to see if there has been any update, other than what I can see on their online portal, but I was just assured that it is with the editor who will shortly make a decision whether to send it for review or not. I have been getting the same response for the last 2–3 months.
As a result, I have asked the journal to take it out of the journal as I have no intention to further consider this journal for my publication, but the email I got back was the same I received previously as well, i.e. the standard email "it is with the editor, a decision will be reached shortly".
You could debate if 4 months is long enough or not to request an update, but that is not what I am interested, I am more surprised that there seemingly is no interest in honouring that request.
Other than emailing the customer service from Springer (which I have done), what other options do I have to request the manuscript to be taken out? I'm not too worried that the journal is going rogue and publish the manuscript without my permission, it is just an annoyance that I can't put the manuscript into a different journal as long as it is under "consideration" in the current journal.

Did you tell the journal you wanted your manuscript "taken out"? If so, use the more standard term "withdraw" instead ("Please withdraw my manuscript").

This was my first line in the email to the journal: "It seems you have not understood my previous email, I was very clear that I want to withdraw my manuscript from your journal and I just want to receive a confirmation from you that it has been withdrawn"


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Is it considered plagiarism if I implement a program by closely following a book?
I am creating a software application for my bachelor thesis. I have found a book that guides me through the whole implementation process of my problem, as well as a source code and I am following the book. I am using Python instead of Java (which is the language used in the book). I am going to add some other functions too but more or less 90% of the application is based on the book. For sure I am going to reference it but it is for a thesis so I don't want to take my chances. Is it considered plagiarism if I follow these steps?
(I have tried other techniques as well but this seems like the most straightforward solution)

Discuss that with teacher or advisor

Do the proper citation or quote following academic rules

As long as you give proper attribution, you are not plagiarizing.
You could be violating copyright if you use code verbatim that is not licensed to you for the purpose you are using it, but it seems likely to me that the code in an educational book would have a pretty broad license.
However, you should definitely check with the person who is advising your thesis about expectations for your thesis. A bigger problem for you is that a thesis project is usually expected to have quite a bit of originality. Even if it's a collection of things that have already been done (a review/survey sort of paper), the expectation is likely that the collection part is novel/your own work: the part where you decide what to include. If you're working almost entirely from one source, you're not really doing much collecting to add value to your thesis. On the other hand, if these are just some necessary programming "pre steps" that get you towards the actual work you're doing, that may be totally fine. Ask your advisor. I'd also consider that if someone has written a book to show how to implement this thing, there's probably an existing Python package available open source that you could work from, instead, which would save you time and let you focus on the important parts.
It's not plagiarism to hand someone an entire Stephen King novel if you are clear and honest about saying "This entire book was written by Stephen King, and the only thing I've done is to obtain it from the library and hand it to you", but it won't earn you credit for completing a bachelor's thesis, either.

The thing is, my application focuses on a tweak to a concept that is in the implementation. There were many other existing applications I could use for this purpose but since it is a thesis I decided to do the whole implementation myself. I will ask my advisor because his expectations might have been different.

@MOLD If an existing application is open-source, you may still be able to tweak the implementation. But yes, your advisor will be the best person to guide you on this.

I did research on this too, and I have understood the theory perfectly, all the math sits well, I just couldn't fit them into an application. I am doing a joint major (Maths and Computer Science) and Computer Science is the one I am 'less good' at. This book basically pours all the theory I have read until now into code.

The first sentence is what counts in academia. As long as you cite your source, there is no plagiarism.

@gnasher729 With the caveat that in addition to citing your source, it's necessary to indicate what exactly you're attributing to someone else (for example, quotations for exact text need to use quotation marks or block formatting or similar, because the assumption otherwise is that you're citing merely for ideas).

I would add that last bit of clarification (or something like it) to the first paragraph of the answer.  "Citing" or "referencing" the source is not enough for a case like this; it must be clear how that source was used.  As the question title specifically asked about plagiarism, it's appropriate to be extra clear about that in the answer.

" I just couldn't fit them into an application." part of programming is "problem solving", but by following detailed instructions and transliterating to a different language, you are not demonstrating problem solving skills.  So that would be something worth clarifying with your project supervisor.  Problem solving is probably the most important skill in programming, it (and understanding the code) is the way we can add value to ChatGPT ;o)

Note, however, that some instructors have a much stricter idea about "plagiarism" than is standard in academia. You would be wise to check this with your instructor to be sure.

Iff you use it, comment your findings regarding WHY this book is better than the lots of other solutions you have read about.
Porting a software from language A to language B is not the achievement. It's the average programmers day job. The thing you maybe can score a little with is the comparison work, if done right.
Did you do proper research? Or is it just your hunch that this code from the book is better? And what means better? And did you prove that the code is correct? Is it efficient? What's the complexity? And is your solution working better not only in average case, but for all edge cases as well?
If you don't know what is meant by all that, use research about sorting algorithms as guidance. There are a ton of papers where people argue why some algorithm is better or worse than another, under which conditions.
Document that you thought about all that deeply. And don't hide the flaws. I'll bet you will find at least one, if you start looking deeper.

Its really hard to give specific help if you are vague about your project scope, and what exactly you are trying to do. However, I will try my best:

Porting code from Java to Python is really not that huge of an achievement considering the similarities between the two languages.

You mentioned how the book guided the entire implementation of your thesis. Does that mean your entire thesis is based on the book? I'm struggling to understand how a book can simply guide the implementation of what should be a piece of exploratory work on your end.

To answer your question, it likely wouldn't be considered plagiarism. However, this is the same as me copying an entire research paper verbatim and citing it. It isn't strictly plagiarism but it is obviously a pointless exercise.
Without any additional information, I am quite confused as it seems like your entire bachelor's thesis is based on a book that already explored the topic for you (much less actually provided the implementation).

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Should I explain reason to a professor whom I asked fr supervision earlier, but joined PhD for another professor?
This is a continuation of a question I asked a year ago.
My masters supervisor contacted me to starting new work, and I returend to  my institute to start my PhD.
I am feeling a bit confused if I should explain to the other professor who also agreed to be my supervisor, the real reason for this situation, or shall I just leave the topic, as I am sure he will never ask me.

It’s a good idea just to have a chat with the other professor. Academia is a small place and you will definitely run into him one way or the other. Most professor won’t take it negatively if you decide to join some other professor. In long term, it’s good to clear the air

Thanks. I cleared the air. He laughed and seemed a bit unhappy with me. I guess it will be ok in the long run.

I assure you that the unhappiness would be because of losing a good student but he will appreciate you talking to him and clarifying

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In general, are research articles entirely written by the PhD student?
I'm thinking of pursuing a PhD (in France) and I would like to know if the process of writing is merely done by the PhD candidate, or it is helped by their advisor?

In general, the process varies too widely to say yes or no. Some advisors do more with and for the student than others. It can actually be anything from a completely individual effort to a team effort (such as in Big-Science).
The purpose of the advisor is to guide. And even when the student develops the work on their own, the advisor will nearly always provide advice, and even the research question.
But it isn't just that you show up and are told "write a paper". The purpose of the PhD itself is to train a person in the research process, including publishable results in some field.
If it were general practice that the student was expected to do it "on their own" then there would be no reason for the PhD. A publication record would be all that is needed to start a career.
However, some advisors are more "helpful" than others and some students require more "help" than others. If you are mismatched with your advisor it can be frustrating. There are many questions on this site that indicate what can go wrong, usually when an advisor won't or can't provide proper guidance.
When you start the PhD studies your first task is to try to match with a compatible advisor who can and will provide the necessary level of assistance and guidance, whatever that might be for you.

+1 some students require more "help" than others

"When you start the PhD studies your first task is to try to match with a compatible advisor": Not sure this is true in France, which, I think, has the typical european system that you find an advisor and then you start with your PhD.

@user151413, but it is good if you can learn something about them before you make a choice. But yes, it is much easier in US. A random choice can turn out poorly.

... can turn out poorly for both sides, in fact. In that respect, the US system has clear advantages indeed. (Conversely, people in some places in Europe to quite extensive master's theses, which can also help quite a bit in judging them, at least scientifically. I have a hard time judging applicants from places without a master's thesis, or just a super-short one.)

At least in the UK it's common (in physics) to start your PhD and then get assigned to an advisor. Only sometimes when students come with a grant that is tied to a specific project the advisor will be known in advance. So your experience with "typical European" will vary. The best bet is always to find advanced PhD students at the place you are applying to and ask them.


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Can I do a PhD in Management with an MBA and without a Bachelor's degree?
I have dropped out from my Bachelor's studies in Aerospace Engineering after succesfuly completing 1st year.
Then I worked in Marketing, until I became Marketing Director of my company.
I have obtained an non-thesis MBA from a rigorous program at a university ranked among the top 5 in Scotland.
I have realised how much I am interested in the theoretical and research area of Management and I would like to pursue a PhD in management in Germany, Sweden, Norway or Austria, but I am worried that my qualifications, namely the lack of Bachelor's degree and my Master's being non-thesis, may not be sufficient for me to be accepted to a PhD program.
My area of interest is Strategic Moves and Business model patterns and innovation.
In one of my Strategic Planning papers, I was awarded 80% (which is uncommon in the UK) and my lecturer said that he's never seen 80% being awarded before. So I believe I am not bad with the subject knowledge and analytical thinking but I only lack research experience.
Could you please advice if I have any chance? Would any supervisor accept my application ?

You have to ask them. Unusual cases aren't a good match here.


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Dimensionless axis plots
How to properly label graphs that can be dimensionless?
One of reviewers of my document strongly emphasised on labelling plots with which I generally strongly agree. On this occasion, however, I was explaining a general mathematical model on generated time series and by time series I mean an observation (value of a variable) that changes. Non of the variables I'm plotting has any units and the only reason why I added label Time [s] on x axis so that reader doesn't have to think too much what is there. Reviewer suggested adding units to all other labels, such as dimensionless amplitude, amplitude square and inverse of amplitude square. It seems that adding Density [1/|1|^2] or making up a unit might be considered a bit offensive.
Here are examples, where I am supposed to label axes. None of used variables requires a unit.
Density of dimensionless variable.
Time series

This should be your response to the reviewer. BTW if your variable is changing, then there should be a frame with respect to which it changes. Otherwise is constant everywhere and always. This clearly implies some kind of unit.

@PsySp It seems so, but odd as it sounds, I'm not sure whether I am allowed to communicate with the reviewer until next submission, so in order to decrease my chances on prolonged communication I thought that asking wider audience might be helpful. (I've edited question: variable is no longer changing, but its value ;-) )

Lack of a unit never implies that a clear label isn't necessary.  How can time not have an appropriate, non misleading label?  How about "Index" or "sample number"?  Just because it doesn't have a unit doesn't mean that you can't come up with an appropriate label?  Even "Normalized Amplitude" or something.  If the lack of a  unit isn't immediately apparent, sometimes "unitless" where you would normally include a unit will clear things up.
Lastly, look toward your literature.  If you can't find an example close to what you're doing, you may be reading the wrong literature, or not reading enough of the right literature.  Having to ask about something like this is somewhat of a red flag on your due diligence.

I'm sorry, seems I have made it clear enough. I am using labels such as "Amplitude", "Power" or "Density" next to most of axes. Most, because there are figures with 16 side-by-side graphs and adding labels to each decreases readability. In all cases, however, caption and text explains the meaning of the variable and I do emphasis where appropriate that values are normalised. In all honesty, the literature that I've been reading uses often same labels.

Maybe more appropriate question would be: should I add "normalised" to each label, despite that it obscures the graph?

If the number is dimensionless, you clearly can't add a unit. Even adding "seconds" to time is rather spurious if there aren't tick marks on the axis.
If the reviewer is finding things unclear, it's an indication that some of your readers will as well. You could make sure to explain in the caption that the axes are dimensionless and exactly what each axis represents, or if that can't be put simply, provide a reference to the section of the text in which it is explained. You could consider writing "Dimensionless density" or "Density (arbitrary units)" as the axis label.

Thank you for your answer. I'll do what you've mentioned, using the "arbitrary units." Unfortunately, due to my reputation, I cannot upvote your answer.

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How much does a FAIL grade in thesis credits affect PhD admission chances?
I am doing an integrated BS-MS in Biological Science from an Indian university and currently am in the 6th (post-final!) year. In this MS part of the program, I am supposed to take a few grad level classes and mainly focus in research. I also need to pass 8 MS thesis courses (worth 3 credits each), in which my supervisor grades me on my research work that particular semester (I can take as many as 4 of them in one semester). The grade for this course is either S or X i.e. Satisfactory or Fail.
I took one of the 8 courses in the summer following my senior year. I worked very little and met my supervisor only 3 times in the term. As a result, I received the X grade in the thesis course. In the following semester (Fall), I took 3 MS thesis courses. My performance was better, I met him more often but according to him, it was not worth passing all 3 - he said it was only good enough to pass 1 of the 3 thesis courses. But since failing 3 thesis courses would have led to termination of my degree, he gave me pass grade for 2 of the 3 courses and cautioned me that another fail course would mean the end of the program for me.
After this, my performance research-wise has been good, I have been more regular. My relationship with my supervisor has also improved, although it could be much better. I have received a pass grade in all the remaining thesis courses and retook the 2 I had failed. Since I had not made enough progress in the one year, I continued my work further until it reaches a publishable position. I am finishing my second year this summer (6th year overall) and the work seems to be coming to an end.
I applied to for PhD positions at US universities last fall. When I asked my supervisor for recommendation, he said - "Ya, I will write one for you, but it won't be a glorious recommendation. I will mention what you did, your performance in my course...". Anyway, the results came out, and it was not good (1 accept out of 9).
(hope this was enough of a background!)
My question is - How much does an X grade in thesis research course (2 such, in my case) affect my PhD application. Are these thesis credits looked at closely? Such X grades are rare in my department, so I don't know how bad the situation is.
EDIT - I think this question is sufficiently different from others asking about a failed subject course. I am asking about failing thesis credits, which is different because a) these can be easily retaken and one can take as many as 4 of them in a semester and b) they directly corroborate with your research performance as opposed to normal courses.
I would be SINCERELY OBLIGED if someone could help me with this. It has been troubling me for months, and any answer towards this question/situation would be enormous for me!

the work seems to be coming to an end So, do you have the written thesis yet?

@scaaahu, no. but will have one in about 1-2 months time

@scaaahu, thank your for the question. could you provide your opinion to my question?

I suspect that it's not failing the thesis courses that kept you from getting in, but the not-overly-enthusiastic letter from your supervisor. (He did warn you.) An enthusiastic letter from him explaining the failing grades would probably have led to many admissions committees overlooking them. Learning to do research is difficult, and what matters more to admissions committees is your present ability, not how long it too you to get there.

Let me try to summarize.  You took several master's level thesis courses that were graded pass/fail and you failed two of them. Moreover, your supervisor wanted to fail you on one more but refrained from doing so because you would have been dismissed from the program.  Then you retook them, passed them, and since then have consistently done passing work, but it is clear from what you say that your advisor is still no more than moderately satisfied with your performance.
Sorry to say, but this sounds bad to me.  You have been really struggling in your master's program, and to me it sounds like your advisor does not think your performance warrants admission into a PhD program and probably indicated that in his letter.  And then of course there's the fact that you already applied to PhD programs and were not successful -- that's about as strong evidence as you could get.
What should you do?  Here is my advice.

First make sure you finish your master's thesis, and that you finish as strong as you can.

If I got the chronology right, you expect to be graduating at the end of this summer.  I don't know the Indian academic calendar, but in the US that would mean about two months from now.  You say the research "seems to be coming to an end" and that you haven't written your thesis yet but "will have one in 1-2 months time."  If I were your master's supervisor, then even disregarding the above considerations I would be a bit concerned about the timely completion of your thesis.  Most master's students are very inexperienced when it comes to academic writing, and without substantial help from their supervisor they may not understand the scope of the task.  I supervised a master's thesis once.  The student was strong, and I think she spent several months just writing (and revising) the thesis.  Do you have a clear plan of how you will get from where you are now to the completion of your thesis?  If not, talk to your supervisor ASAP.

Do follow through with attempting to publish your work.

My impression is that in the biological sciences, thesis work that is well-regarded and thesis work that has been published in a reputable (I still can't bring myself to say "high impact") journal are pretty close.  So if you can publish, then there may be an "all's well that ends well" aspect to your studies.

Consider "laundering yourself" by doing another master's degree, perhaps in the US.

A lot of US programs are more willing to take chances on a master's student than a PhD student.  The downside to this is that master's students are often not as well funded as PhD students (or are not funded at all), so you may be putting yourself in a tough financial situation -- please think at least twice about doing that.  But if you can find a funded master's degree at even a not-so-great US institution: well, that's your foot in the door.
Good luck.

Out of curiosity, why are you averse to the term "high impact"?

@astronat: It infuriates me that in many academic fields people seem to make no distinction between the quality of a journal and its impact factor.  Ten years ago I had never heard the term "impact factor"; now it is being used "even in mathematics" to evaluate the quality of people's work.  This is very disturbing.

@PeteL.Clark , thanks for the answer, (your summary is spot on). However, could you comment about my question regarding the significance of an X grade in thesis courses during phd admissions? Also, i do not understand the meaning of laundering oneself

@devon: My answer explained how an American faculty member doing graduate admissions would evaluate your application.  In the US one does not necessarily take "thesis courses" and we do not have an "X grade".  Moreover, because your system is different from ours, we would look that much more to the advisor's letter to explain the situation.  So: the significance is up to the faculty member reading the evaluation, but I explained why it is likely that it would be regarded as a rather serious negative.  "Launder yourself" means to do something new to remove a stigma from your past.

@PeteL.Clark, thanks for the clarification. but I explained why it is likely that it would be regarded as a rather serious negative - I didn't get this impression from the answer, but good to know now

To be successful in applying for PhD programmes, you need to demonstrate your ability to perform research.
Unfortunately, failing a thesis research course says rather the opposite to the admissions committee. By the sounds of it, your lukewarm recommendation letter from your supervisor will have done nothing to help matters either.
To improve your chances if you are planning to apply again, I would suggest trying to publish your work (you hint in your question that this may be possible) and, if you can, finding someone else who can write you a much stronger letter of recommendation.

were you ever part of a phd admissions commitee?

@Rudiger nope, never.

Well, I've been the chair of a PhD admissions committee and I agree with everything in this answer.  (+1)

What Pete said.

What JeffE said.

It is understood that not only you're doing well in your thesis courses, but that you get A at least. Being ranked first is even better. Consider taking a course from another advisor and doing extremely well at it. That will demonstrate your competence, put your new advisor in a good mood, which translates into great recommendations letters. I hope this helps.

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Have traditionally pure math departments gotten more 'applied' with the boom in Data Science?
Specifically, I am thinking of top pure math departments in the U.S., e.g., Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, UCLA, Berkeley, etc.
I know that many of these top places now have entirely separate interdisciplinary Applied Math PhD programs, and very soon Data Science PhD programs, but I'm wondering about whether the pure math groups themselves have gotten more applied.

I don't understand your question. Pure Math is Pure Math. Plain and  simple. If you want Applied Math, go to Applied Math program.

I upvoted this because it is a well-posed question that admits a clear answer.

Thanks, professor, @TomChurch; I'm happy to accept your answer if you post one! :)

@scaaahu I disagree - the division between applied and pure math has always been artificial at best, sometime ridiculous.

@Dirk I agree and have voted to close this question as being primarily opinion-based. If others disagree, I would be interested to read their answers to it.

I'm not sure why this question was closed, as it's meaning is clear.  The answer is no, research interests of faculty at top pure math departments have not become at all more applied.


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How hard is it to get admitted to a PhD programm in UK/Ireland having specialist's degree from a mediocre Russian university?
I am going to study "Bioengineering and bioinformatics" for the next 5 years and plan to pursue a scientific career afterwards. My family does not have much money to support me studying in cities like Moscow and Saint-Petersburg, so I chose a university with the best cost/prestige ratio(Mordovia State University). I am worried that the type of my diploma (specialist) and mediocrity of the university will decrease my chances of getting admitted so much that hard work won't be able to offset that (grades and research experience won't be an issue, I invest all my time in studying). I know that 5 years is a lot of time and I haven't even started to study, but I don't want to find out one day that my degree is useless and I won't be able to achieve my life goals.

So the main questions are:
How is the specialist's degree in such a field perceived in UK/Ireland?
How much will mediocrity of my university affect chances of getting admitted to a PhD program in a more or less good university?
What is more important in the admission process anyway, prestige of a university or hard work and passion that a candidate has?

I am surprised that website of your uni is nice and transparent, https://www.mrsu.ru/en/edu/spec_edu3/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=35962 all information about program, accreditation and name of lecturers are available, some of them have international education, but most of them are not yet docents, why??? I dont understand this. how you can be lecturer without being a docent?

web site of faculty is ok, but I think it is mediocre. you should go for 3 year or 4 years BSc program.

I don't think you can make precise plans that much in advance. In the UK, only a minority of funded PhD positions is available for non-EU students, and you may have to go to another country, likely France or Germany, if you wish to stay in Europe. Also, in 5 years you may change your mind about doing a PhD abroad. 2. There may be a few middle options between Moscow and Saransk, e.g., Novosibirsk. 3. Big universities normally offer affordable housing for students. With that, living costs in Moscow or St. Petersburg may not be much higher than elsewhere. You should research that.

tl;dr: Don't do this.
Long version: Studying in a second-class university for a 5-year long program will significantly reduce your chances to get admitted to a MSc/PhD program in UK, Europe and US. In particular:

The "specialist" programs are not known in western world. While a specialist diploma from MSU could be recognised by some Universities as a MSc degree and allow admittance to a PhD program, a similar diploma from unknown universities will be only recognised as an evidence of BSc-level education or not recognised at all.
The educational program in Mordova University is likely to be outdated and the assessment standards are likely to be low. It will be very difficult for you to keep yourself motivated through all 5 years. Inevitably, people get sidetracked from such programs into self-education and tend to become IT specialists or self-learnt coders rather than scientists.
Your current level of English is decent; it is likely that a second-class University program will not help you to improve you language skills above your current level.
It is very likely that lecturers in Mordova University are not really involved  in international research. You will not obtain essential understanding of how the research is done in the western world, and this could significantly limit the scope and success of your applications.

Suggestion: Try to get yourself a stipend/scholarship/loan and get yourself to a decent program in Moscow / St. Petesburgh. Alternatively, search for any BSc program which admits you in any EU country.
Remember, 5 years of your life is a huge commodity. If you are going to spend them on education, make sure this time is not wasted. Good luck.

+1, as someone from the UK, I have no idea what a specialist diploma means or entails.

Thank you for your answer. Although, to make any conclusion, I still would like to see anything from a professor who actually participates in the admission process and knows the field. The decision to wreak havoc on my family's budget is a serious one.

@AleksandrIllarionov As someone who is involved in PhD admissions, I want to reaffirm that Dmitry's answer is basically correct. As Dmitry says, there are things you  can try doing that do not involve wrecking havoc in your family finances.

Your answer is unreasonably discouraging. 1) In the UK specifically, "specialist" degree is not a problem, and there is no formal requirement to have an MSc to start a PhD. But then, it is not guaranteed that OP will be able to go to the UK, so he should also consider admission rules in other countries. 2) In Moscow/St.Petersburg, lecturers are as likely to not be researchers.

@BorisBukh what is the name of this specialist programs? degree name?

I work in the field of bioinformatics. I have studied in an International PhD program in Germany after completing a BSc in Biology from a university in Ukraine. Upon admission my university mattered - one of our faculty members was from the same university and they could reassure the admission committee that the education quality was decent. However, what I think was crucial for their final decision to accept me, was my internship abroad. Come to think of it, over half of my class did at least one. No matter where you decide to study, I can certainly recommend to apply for an internship in the country of your choice. It gives you an edge over other candidates, provides you with practical experience, shows that you are able to adapt.


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Want pursue phd in Machine Learning but having a networking background
My situation is similar to but not same as -UG different field than phd
Please skip to edit 2 below if you want to know the problem in short.
Details
Talking of my career so far,

I completed undergraduate in CS(computer-science) with WSN (wireless-sensor-networks) as thesis topic (Networks)
Joined an MNC(multi-national-company) in Android GPS team and stayed for a year (More Networks! )
Completed masters in CS with Social Network Analysis as main thesis. At this point I got interested in ML (machine-learning), NLP(natural-language-processing) and during my entire program I took related courses.
Joined another MNC 11 months back, in their router OS QOS (quality-of-service) team (Networks again! )

I now want to apply for a PhD in ML / NLP from colleges like Carnegie Melon or N NUS, Singapore. But I find I don't have enough recommendation/ work experience in the same field.
What should I do - Personal projects in these areas? Personal publication? Working with a startup in these fields ?
Kindof desparate now to prepare and apply for some program within the next year.
I know its difficult to suggest something that will definitely work in my case but still wanted some advice from the community.
Edit:- Expanding on the acronyms as suggested in comments. Sorry for the long background but I wanted others to understand my situation by stating "some" of my backgound.
Edit 2 : -
Editing this again to highlight my problem in short. I want to pursue phd in fields(ML, NLP) in which I have somewhat less experience. My GPA is not extraordinary for an international student and have only single recommendation in the same. I do have a publication but not related to these areas. Any suggestions for getting my CV to be accepted by any faculty in ivory colleges?

(1) I don't see the difference between the linked question and yours. (2) We do not need to read your CV here. Please just ask your question. (3) You use too many acronyms, such as MNC, WSN, QOS, ... Please spell out them if you believe you need to provide those info.

@scaahu -
(1) - the difference is that the person thereby just changing different fields altogether (physics -> maths) unlike me.
(2) thank you for reminding me, i know that but wanted to make sure that my exact background is known somewhat
(3)  edited the post!

I would expect no university to care about your undergrad except that it was in CS. And the "ivory tower" is infamous about ignoring non-academic work in general so your job is not likely to count for much the other. Your masters with courses in ML will be relevant, and Social Network Analysis as your thesis is plenty close enough to be a point in your favor. It seems to me you are a fairly ideal candidate already. Already working directly in the sub-field you want to pursue studies in is I would suggest uncommon. What particular problems are you facing -- have you had rejections based on...?

ML is still considered a relatively new field. I think your situation is not that different than the linked question. You'll need quite bit CS when you study ML just like Math students will need Math knowledge acquired from studying physics. Again, we don't need to read the detailed background of yours. Whether you gained experience from MNC or a small local company really does not matter. All you need to say is that you have network experience. Work experience will help the admission a little. The real question you need to concern are your GPA, recommendation letters and research potential.

@scaahu ,- Apologies for the mundane details, I am new to this niche of stackexchange. Updated the post again.


text:
Regarding self-archiving embargos, what is the "official publication" date?
Springer's self-archiving policy states:

Authors may self-archive the author’s accepted manuscript of their articles on their own websites.
  Authors may also deposit this version of the article in any
  repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months
  after official publication or later...

http://www.springer.com/gp/open-access/authors-rights/self-archiving-policy/2124
Many other journals specify a similar embargo period.
My question is, what counts as the date of "official publication"? This could refer to:

date of acceptance
date first available online, or
date article first appeared in print

This may seem like a nitpicky question, but for some journals, publication online precedes publication in print by 6 months or more.

Ask the journal for clarification.

Certainly not date of acceptance.

@BryanKrause Thanks--I'll update the post when I receive a response.

From Nature Neurology Reviews (bold is my emphasis):

What is the 'official' publication date?
Many journals, and most abstracting and indexing services (including Medline and Institute for Scientific Information) still cite the print date as the publication date. This is an evolving standard, however, and the trend now is for publishers to state both the 'Online Publication Date' and the 'Print Publication Date'. Nature Publishing Group currently publishes both dates for its own papers, and we hope that the scientific communities and abstracting and indexing services will recognize these dates.
For the time being, the reference lists in our papers will continue to follow the standard convention of citing by print publication details if they are available. We expect, however, to review this policy regularly as community standards evolve.
For legal purposes (e.g. establishing intellectual property rights), it is our assumption that online publication will constitute public disclosure. This status is, however, for the courts to decide; our role as a publisher is to provide clear documentation of the publication history, online and in print.

In summary, it seems like the print publication date was originally the standard, but now it is becoming more common to treat the online publication date as a form of official publication as well, as online publication becomes the norm. It's probably up to the journal how they exactly define official publication for purposes of repository deposits, however, and you will have to check with the journal for clarification if it is not already clear.
The US National Institutes of Health requires that NIH-funded research must be archived in their PubMedCentral database 12 months after "official publication." Their FAQ on the matter defines this as follows:

NIH determines the official date of publication for the public access policy based on information received from the publisher and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).  The official date of publication is listed in the PubMed citation display for a paper immediately after the journal title abbreviation.
NIH uses the official date of publication for determining the public access compliance status of a paper and calculating when a paper should be made public on PubMed Central. An "epub ahead of print" date for a citation in PubMed is not considered the official date of publication, and these papers are still considered in press.
Note that when only partial publication dates are available (e.g. Month and Year, Season and Year), NLM calculates the date as the first date of that time period (e.g. March 2013=March 1, 2013). See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/licensee/elements_article_source.html for additional information about NLM dates.

Based on these guidelines, it would suggest that it is the print publication date that is important, but it also seems like they leave it up to the publisher to some extent.

Thanks, Bryan! I appreciate the insight. I am waiting to hear back from the journal.

@KenA, did Springer answer you after all?

I never received a response. I guess I'll play it safe and assume the print date as the date of official publication.

In addition to Bryan's answer, I have received a clarification from Springer:

The term "official publication" refers to the First Online date of an
  article.

This may be specific to the journal ("Signal, Image and Video Processing"), because, prior to responding, the customer service requested the DOI of my article. But, personally, I think it's likely a publisher-wide policy.


text:
Should I mail my advisor concerning his attitude towards me, and possible re-use of my ideas by a colleague?
I have been doing some research for my masterthesis. I had a supervisor for this task, who was (to my opinion) quite harsh and unhelpful in his feedback. I pursued it nevertheless, and continued on the work that I had been doing; but got somewhat annoyed.
Some time ago, he sent me a (edit: yet unpublished) paper by one of his colleagues (with whom he had previously been working with) on a topic that somewhat overlaps with the topic I had been working in. 3 out of the 5 concepts that I used in my paper are also presented in this paper (with a somewhat different name, but the construct on its' own is the same); although the actual question, and other concepts were also added to it - so it's not quite a copy-paste, but I had a sense that this (not yet published paper) was in some ways inspired by my work. The most troubling aspect I found was how my supervisor treated my ideas as 'unoriginal' and also did not give me much support throughout my work while he then send me something that I felt was actually originally coming from me.
I have contacted already a third person about this (edit: an ombuds-person, who is also a professor at my faculty), and am thinking about sending to my supervisor regarding my disappointments and questions about this issue later on, once I finished my exams and obtained my master.
But I don't expect much helpful answers back (I am slightly resentful of that moment, and I am wondering how I can do this at the same time politely and honestly).
I was wondering whether anyone had some similar experience, and could help me figure out what I should do? Should I let it go, later on? Do I also have any say in this?
It is not only my own personal situation that worries me, it's also about all future students who might have him as a supervisor who might go through something like this - which is everything but a nice way to finish a degree.
So if anyone has any experience, I'd love to hear about it.
Update
I send an email to my promotor, in which I somewhat mentioned my problems. He replied to me back that he was sorry that he was not more present to help me, that I should tell something to my advisor and that he will be there to support me if there is any conflict; that definitely something needs to be fixed here and that he is willing to repair the wrongs. So to anyone feeling stuck in a similar situation, I guess my best advice would be: talk about it, and with as many persons as you can - you might not have the answer directly from one person at one moment, but it also just helps figuring what the problem is in the first place. Thanks for everyone having replied in the comments, that was really nice & helpful! :)

Do you have any concrete evidence that the colleague of your supervisor actually used or even knew about your work? Is the third person you consulted a more experienced academic? While I am not doubting that some foul play might have took place, your description fits the "oh, someone already did it" scenario that happens so very often to everyone. So it would make a difference whether the third person advising confrontation is a student moved by your bad luck, or a member of a faculty that senses something's off.

Thanks for replying @lemon314. The third person I contacted is a professor at my University; and I did send him both my work and the yet unpublished paper so that he could have a look at it as an innocent eye. I don't have of course direct evidence, and I think the person that will soon publish it could easily defend that it had nothing to do with it. But I just scrolled through his academic profile, and found nothing that uses those concepts that I placed in my paper in his previous research; and also found out that he had been collaborating with my advisor recently.

Also, is the paper of the supervisor's colleague a preprint, a published article, a conference paper? And when did it appear? It would also help to indicate the field, firstly because if this is, say, mathematics, and that paper appeared in the journal, it conceivably was submitted a year ago or more, possibly before you even started your research (this is very field-dependent). Secondly, while this is only tangent to the question, there's the issue if prior publication harms your prospects of obtaining the degree (which I'm NOT expecting, but it is field-dependent again).

It is not yet published - it is submitted, and I think peer-reviewed (not sure about this though, but he send me just a draft of the paper, for reasons I really do not know, I was really surprised by this). So I think that this happened after I had written my first paper (my thesis is split into two parts: last year, I needed to plan out the research and this year I carried it out and need to write a final paper about it). And the field I am in is experimental psychology, I do not think that prior publication will have an impact on my degree.

And also: the draft that was send is somewhat related, but it is really not exactly on the research topic I was working on. It was more of the person doing the sort of research he was previously already carrying out, and adding some ingredients that looked to me suspiciously similar to some ingredients that I used.

and was there any message from your supervisor with that paper of their colleague, any reason they send it your way? I've been in the similar-ish situation, but the email from my supervisor started with "I'll contact them right away and make sure they cite your work properly!!!". Consider that your supervisor maliciously sending your work to their colleague for them to steal it, and then not only not concealing the fact from you but making you aware of the paper prior to its publication - that would be quite a bold move.

Like @lemon314, I'm wondering why your supervisor sent you the paper. Can you elaborate?

I have no idea myself why he would send it to me. He told me "Be careful; this is an unpublished manuscript so don't share it. Look at the logical structure of it - maybe it can inspire you for your own paper!" Like I would be using the things from that paper in my own paper. I was quite shocked. I didn't do it, of course. And he didn't mention anything about mentioning me.

Oh and he said in the comments of a draft of my second paper: "Oh well, what you found (this and that) we actually already knew about it."

But why he send me this draft is a mystery to me as well. I have been thinking of asking him if he noticed the resemblances, if there was a reason why it seemed to me that the colleague had been 'recycling' my ideas; but he also will give FB on me later on, and I am afraid that this will affect my final grade.

@Kat I understand your feelings of disappointment and resent, but there really isn't anything you can do about this, since you cannot prove that your ideas were taken. Complete your masters instead; if you annoy your advisor too much he might not give you the masters, so better be safe than sorry. One thing to note: if this repeats again and again, you should find another advisor; if this occurs again and again you will need to draw a line between what the advisor should and should not do.

Thanks @user758469; I think this was the conclusion that I ended making for myself. Thankfully, I only have 2 months left and then I'll be leaving this institution. It just saddens me for my University, and for all prospective students. I was thinking of eventually keeping all the mails that I have, in case another student has somewhat of a similar experience with the same supervisor. Does that sound like a good idea?

@Kat, Yes (perhaps in a separate 'My Folder" which you can name with anything positive or negative )

I have contacted already a third person about this (edit: an ombuds-person, who is also a professor at my faculty)

This ombudsperson is probably the person best suited to give advice about whether misconduct occurred and what your options may be. Given that you are already talking to an ombudsperson, I would not want to add my own speculation into the mix.

[I] am thinking about sending to my supervisor regarding my disappointments and questions about this issue later on, once I finished my exams and obtained my master.

Your instinct to wait until after finalizing your degree is probably a good one. As for the advisability of writing such a letter at all: well, I am afraid I do not see much point. Certainly it seems unlikely that your advisor will say "Egads! I have seen the error of my ways and am overcome with remorse!" Your desire to protect future students is admirable, but unless the ombudsperson recommends further action, I suspect your options will be somewhat limited.

Thanks @cag51! (loved the quote: "Egads! I have seen the error of my ways and am overcome with remores!" - I think this is exactly why I dread sending him an email, because it obviously seems like he didn't see the problem). I ended up emailing as well with my promotor, who was supposed to mentor me but did not. He wrote me a mail back, apologising. I now think that my advisor just didn't realize that this paper was somewhat related to mine; or that he has a different opinion on what 'plagiarising' means. I will wait until after my degree is completed, just too much to handle for me otherwise.


text:
Letting professors know who else is writing my letters of recommendation
Should I let each of my recommenders for grad school know who else is writing letters for me? I often see it suggested on checklists of what information to provide the writers.
Would this help the writer in any way? The only way I can see it being helpful is avoiding potential overlap between letters.

The main thing is what you say--so your letter writers have a better idea what they should focus on in their letters.  But you can just ask your letter writers to see if they want to know--some will care, some won't.

Overall, in my experience (as many others will likely agree), providing letter writers as much [concise and straightforward] info as possible will almost always ensure for a better letter. This includes mentioning who else is writing a letter for you (especially if they are from the same institution).
One potential benefit is the letter writer might be able to plan what strengths of yours to focus on or what tone to write the letter based on the knowledge of who else is writing your letters.
For example, if you asked two professors with whom you've previously taken separate courses that you did very well in, they might both be inclined to mention your achievement in their course. However, if you assisted with research with one of the profs and they know your other letter is being written by a professor that will likely discuss your classroom achievements, they will know to focus most of their letter on your research capabilities.
It's also not unheard of for two letter writers that know each other to discuss your achievements/capabilities. This could include, as you mentioned, avoiding unimportant overlap or, more importantly, developing better congruence concerning the "main point" grad programs should be taking away about you.


text:
How long should a CV for Masters application be?
I am applying for a masters programme in the Netherlands and am required to submit the CV. All the previous CVs I have written had been for internship applications so normally they were one page long. Keeping them short was not difficult since I just had to exclude irrelevant academic experiences.
However, apart from grade transcript and english language certificates, CV is the only document required - No SOP and recommendation letter. Hence, it my only opportunity to present myself properly, but I know what is considered proper in this situation. I was thinking to include:

Internship experience (it's relevant)
Academic experiences (research assistant position, additional coursework, summer schools)
extracurricular activities (student organizations, competitions)

Should I:
a) Include all the above mentioned information and describe activities in detail, which probably means a 2-page CV
b) Include all the above mentioned information but try to write it in one page
c) Choose only the most relevant information and write it in one page
Thanks.

In your situation, I would say a one-page long CV is the most appropriate. In order to fit in one page, you may adjust the layout, or avoid writing long sentences, list only relevant stuff (as you said), etc.

Ok. The proper CV is the one that is well-tuned to a particular job. So, in general, there is no best CV template. If you apply for internship and other industry jobs, you might need a differenrt CV than when you apply for a master or Phd.
The rule of thumb is to show the person who is reading your CV that you have the majority of the job requirements in their job posting. If it is a master program, then they probably have listed some requirement. You should try to tailor your CV as much as possible so it can show the best version of you in terms of those job requirements. For example, if one of one the requirements is having experience in doing research, then putting a research project you have done or a publication (if you have any) would help a lot.
So, again, you should read the job requirement (in this case the master program requirement) very carefully and tailor your CV accordingly.


text:
How can I get a paper if our library is not subscribed to the journal?
I am a PhD student writing my thesis, and desperately need some specific papers which are not accessible via our library subscription. I contacted the authors to get a copy from them but some didn't reply. There were not available in free repositories and buying the articles from the publisher is too expensive for me.
Is there any possibility for getting a few papers you need?

Use sci-hub....

Have you asked a librarian at your college library?

Have you area the habit of using Arxiv? Most of the papers I've read are on arxiv for free. That a look http://arxiv.org/

Does your library or an on-site library keep the prints of the actual journal issues? You can just go photocopy or scan the relevant materials if so.

My university has an inter library loan system where I've been able to submit requests for copies of an article. It requires entering citation information about the article and I have seen requests returned in a week or so. Sometimes the requests are digital, sometimes they are physical.

Digital requests (the most common way, IME for articles or chapters) can sometimes be insanely quick—I've occasionally had same day— especially if you provide exact citation information.  Norm for me is 2-4 days.  Books...can take a while.  Note that students (and even faculty!) can be limited in ILL requests at some libraries as they aren't cheap.  IIRC from talking with a librarian even getting a scanned copy of a journal article can run them $20-40.


text:
Will publisher waive fee if currently unaffiliated?
I am in between jobs and want to send a quick note to a journal. However, I do not have any lab to pay the ridiculous publishing fees, is there any way I can ask the journal to waive the publishing fees? Is being unaffiliated sufficient grounds for this?

Do you consider journals which do not charge a publishing fee?

yeah but in my field, these are not the most visible.

All you can do is ask... worst case, they say no.

What is the field?

Also see Sources to cover open-access fees

Many highly reputable journals won't charge you to publish (many disreputable journals will): why do you want to pay to publish?

Being unaffiliated is not always sufficient grounds for a fee waiver. However, most journals do consider waiving off the publication fees if the author is genuinely not in a position to pay the fees. You should write to the journal explaining that you are currently unaffiliated and do not have sufficient funds to pay the fee. If the journal is convinced, you might get a partial or complete fee waiver.

This surely depends on the journal, and probably on your specific case (I don't imagine it's common to have a blanket waiver for authors without affiliation).    Many journals do provide support to authors without funding.  For instance, look at the PLOS FAQ #4:
https://www.plos.org/publications/publication-fees/

Publication Fee Assistance is intended for authors who demonstrate financial need. [...] PLOS considers applications on a case-by-case basis.

Try looking at the webpages for journals you're considering for such information.  If you can't find anything, you can try contacting the journal.


text:
I signed up to present at a conference and didn't tell my advisor about it. How to handle this now?
I have a little bit of the dilemma here... A month ago, I signed up for a conference talk and I got accepted to present there... However , I actually found out about that conference and decided on my own to give a talk... I did not tell my advisor about it. At that moment, I did not think much. And part of me forgot about it since I was so busy with everything else.
Now, thinking back, it occurs to me that I might have done something stupid. From what I know , most PhD students go to and give talk at conferences because their advisors tell them to go... So I am not sure if I did the right or the wrong thing not asking my advisor before applying to go...
So I know that I now should tell my advisor about the conference. However, I am not sure how I should explain about that fact that I didn't ask before applying ... Is it common for graduate students to let the advisors know before applying for a conference ? Seems like it is a common thing at my institute.
Or should I just back out from the conference? I don't think it is smart if I back out since it will hurt the reputation.
Please give me some insights about this. Thanks a lot.

Something like "Sorry, but I signed up and forgot to tell/ask you about it. Do you think I should actually go?"...?

Are you expecting a response other than "Wow! Congratulations!"?  Because that would be my response.

What conference is this? Is your advisor a co-author? I think the issue here is just if your advisor would be willing to pay for your travel expenses.

It would be helpful to understand the country / field. In the USA, where I did all of my undergraduate and graduate work , the answer is as JeffE writes "Congratulations!" In Japan, where my wife is doing her work, this is sometimes frowned upon and sometimes greatly frowned upon.

Explain it just like you explained in your post.
Tell your advisor that you are very interested in attending a particular conference and that you even applied. You realized it was an oversight that you applied without talking to him first, and then you got sidetracked.
Make it clear that you want to go, that you got accepted, that you made a mistake, and you'd appreciate his feedback on all of it. If your advisor tells you to withdraw, then I would probably listen.
It is not common to do such a thing without discussing it with your advisor, often because they are a co-author and footing the bill.

It might also be a problem if the conference is predatory or has a low ranking and is thus likely to reflect badly on the advisor.


text:
Shortened IEEE citation?
I am writing an IEEE conference paper (IEEE Photonics Society Summer Topicals) and I sometimes see that shortened version of citations are used, without the title of paper. For example, something like
[3] J. Sun, J. Zeng, and N. M. Litchinitser, Opt. Express 21, 2013, 14975-
14981.
[4] M. I. Shalaev, Z. A. Kudyshev, and N. M. Litchinitser, Opt. Lett. 38,
2013, 4288-4291
What is this style of citation called? I would like to use this style of citation in my paper to save space.

The IEEE citation style uses titles. There are citation styles that don't include titles, but then they wouldn't be an "IEEE citation."

I see. If IEEE doesn't officially allow for shortened citation styles without titles, would it still be acceptable to follow other citation styles (like the ones in my question) without risking rejection of the paper? It would be good to hear about commonly used short citation styles, especially since I see them being used in a lot of papers I come across. Thanks!

The best practice is to follow the IEEE citation style.
Having said that, in a conference paper there is going to be a lot less strict check of the actual format of the references you use and I doubt a paper might get rejected because of that. Worst case, you will be asked to correct them either during the review process or when the proceedings are being compiled by the conference organisers .
For journal articles, these will be formatted by IEEE so you do not have a choice.


text:
How should I approach my advisors about switching research topics, when they're counting on my results for a grant proposal?
I'm a second year PhD student in Computer Science in the United States. I started on a research topic in my first year of PhD. There are two advisors jointly involved in it and I don't get along with one of them at all. On the other hand, the other one has been extremely helpful as my mentor.
I want to switch research areas because I'm not excited about the work and I'm starting to dread my meetings with the PI. But my advisors are counting on preliminary results for applying for a grant. How should I approach this without burning bridges?
(I apologize for the poor grammar, English isn't my first language)

I'm starting to dread my meetings with the PI   Who is the PI? Or both are PIs?

@scaaahu, the PI is the professor I don't get along with.

@dan1111, I honestly don't know. Our results seem to be very different from what we expected and it looks like there's a lot of work to be done.

This is a really complex problem, especially since you're in your 2nd year of PhD, meaning it left you more than 1 year, right ?
Why are you not getting along with one of the advisor ? Is it not one of the main issue, which gives you the feeling you don't like your research area ?
Breaking plans of your advisors is really not a good idea, there is always gap in motivation when you are in PhD, and I think you should think about what gives you the feeling you want to go somewhere else. That will hurt both your carrier and your relationship with everyone in the lab.
There is no good answer to your question, either way, you will end up with a problem (for yourself and for your advisors). The best way is to speak with them about your feelings, after having a self-reflexion.
EDIT: Since it is clear you don't want to stay in this lab, the earlier the better. Tell them about what are in your mind, and they will certainly understand, if they are not short-minded (which hopefully is not the case for a scientist !)

In North America, PhD usually last longer than 3 years, so there's probably more than 1 year left.

@Emilie ok thanks, I'll edit that :) how long does it usually last ?

In my field, a PhD typically takes 6 years. Yes, this is in the US.
Let's call the advisor I don't get along with A. He is rude and very demanding. I can no longer tell if I'm dissatisfied with him or my research area even after "self reflection". The thing is, these two guys are the only people who work in this research area and if I switch groups I'll be forced to switch research areas.

@PSakrar just rude and very demanding ? Maybe he doesn't know how to manage people and want you to give your best, so he is like that. Is it not possible ? Don't understand why you don't speak with them, just telling that you don't feel confortable at the moment with how it turns, asking why advisor A is very demanding ? If you don't speak with people, don't think they will just guess ^^

@GautierC, I don't doubt that he has good intentions. But I think I'll be able to work better with an advisor who has better interpersonal skills.
Thank you for your inputs, but I don't quite understand why you are making assumptions about whether I have tried talking to them about the rudeness or not. I have. It didn't help.
I'm looking for pointers on what would be the best way to leave the lab with the least amount of pain for all of us involved. And not looking for tips on how to force myself to stay.

@PSakrar Ok I understand better now. Then tell them you lost interest and that you're not feeling at your place, the earlier the better, especially if they want to do articles about your PhD.

@GautierC we all hope for 4-5 years...but I think 5-6 would be a mean. And 7 not unheard of.


text:
Should I add references to a conference poster
I read the "Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation" article by Thomas C. Erren and Philip E. Bourne. It gives me the general idea of how to prepare a poster.
However, I wonder whether I should add references to the poster as many parts have strong (advanced) knowledge acquired from other works? If yes, where is recommended for references in a portrait A0 poster. Thanks.

I think this depends a lot on the nature of and venue for the poster.  Are you talking about a conference poster that accompanies an article in the proceedings, and the proceedings are published by the time of the conference?  If so, then one of the main purposes of your poster is to get people to read your paper.  Your paper already has all the relevant references, and so (in most cases) there's no need to waste valuable space repeating them on the poster.
If you are talking about a poster that does not accompany a published paper, then you should use your best judgment about whether references serve a useful purpose.  If the material you present has a particularly strong relationship or dependency on past work by yourself or others, and you think your audience might want to consult this past work for themselves, then by all means provide references.  To save space, I would make these only as long as necessary to identify the referenced works.
Another possibility might be for you to leave the references off the poster but include them in a handout for interested visitors.  At all my poster talks, I print off several A4-size copies of the poster and hand them out to people who wander by to have a look.  My posters don't normally include references, but if I thought they were necessary, I'd print them on the reverse of the handout.

Such an interesting idea for having handouts! But is the poster still legible on A4 paper ?

Of course. Posters are not supposed to be wordy; the text should be short, punchy, and set in large type (which coincidentally reduces well to A4).  All too often I see posters that are inexpertly (or perhaps just lazily) made by simply cutting and pasting entire paragraphs from the corresponding paper.  These are the posters that nobody bothers to visit.

This may be a somewhat discipline-dependent question (and you don't specify yours), but I can say that I have often seen references on posters -- and just about as often not. When I have seen them, they have generally been in the lower right-hand corner (for most left-to-right languages, the last place anyone generally looks). Not uncommonly they are in smaller type than the rest of the poster, to save space.

Or in the bottom margin.

You're quite likely to end up with a few points that probably should be cited.  For example previous work as background to why you did your work, or how you interpreted it.  In this case there are a couple of reasons to refernce the work:

For the interested reader (who may even be more interested in the backgreound than in what you did).
As a courtesy (and in the vast majority of cases that's all it is) to the people who have worked in the field before.  This is particularly useful if the authors of an important piece of work might be at the conference.

However, there's not much room for such background on a poster, it should be nearly full of your own work (another reason why a cited, very brief, summary is good).  So you shouldn't have many references.  My last poster had 2.  The one before had 3, of which 2 were self-references to the two methods I was showing off on the poster.

This assumes a standalone poster, with no more than a brief abstract in the proceedings, and possibly only a title.


text:
Do professors frown upon students who don't take notes?
I am a math student and never take notes in class. I feel like I am offending the professors by not taking notes. In general, do professors like students to be "active" during class? I have never learned much by taking notes.
I see other graduate students furiously taking notes...and then I am afraid that professors may write that I am lazy in recommendation letters. So maybe I should just takes notes?

Do you care more about learning stuff or making believe others that you are learning?

I generally frown on students who worry more about whether I'm frowning on them than about learning stuff.

As a teacher, I rather have students nod and "I get this, cool"-mindset rather than furiously taking notes without listening.

Many professors used to be students who didn't take notes during lectures, especially in maths.

I almost never took notes since I found it too difficult to think deeply about what the professor is saying and write at the same time. I have no problem with students doing the same.

Sometimes I wish students would stop taking notes and actually think about what I'm saying. I provide the lecture notes before/after class anyway...

On the flipside, the pedagogical value of taking notes during class is that the student needs to pay enough attention to write it down and hopefully think about it enough to set it down in their own words.

I am afraid that professors may write that I am lazy in recommendation letters.

I can assure you that there is no reason to be afraid of that. That is just not something that would ever get written in a letter. Not taking notes might lead to a poor first impression, but it is your knowledge of the subject (something like your grade, but not exactly) that influences letters.
When I am teaching, I don't pay attention to if people are taking notes or not. I do pay attention to if students are paying attention. As long as you can remember the things you need to remember, then you do not need to write them down.

Good recommendation letters (for PhD programs) address the student's research potential, not their academic performance or their note-taking habits.

I'm a math professor. (I have taught at Stanford and several other universities.)
I prefer that my students do not take notes during my lectures.
Before the lecture, browse through the relevant chapter of the text book.
During the lecture, focus on what your professor says. Taking notes will just distract you, and make it harder for you to follow the lecture.
After the lecture, read the textbook carefully. It is much more well written than any notes would be.

What's a "textbook"?

@JeffE A textbook is a mapping from a tree to a wad of cash for the publisher. Corollary: A textbook is a mapping from a tree to an empty pocket for the student.

Use whatever study habits you need to succeed. Your performance on assessments will make more of an impression than how you absorb the material.  If you can perform well without notetaking and your professor recognizes it, he/she will more likely be very impressed with you.

For very standard, orthodox material based on a textbook, it is reasonable to not take notes and do as much engaged, active thinking-or-questioning during a lecture. One should be alert to insights (hopefully!) from the person in the front of the room, and from others, so a bit of note-writing about the peripheral things is to be expected.
For advanced courses, and for seminars based only loosely on publicly-available material, or actually intended to be _explications_of_ otherwise-opaque material, the task is to both take as many notes as possible (even if/when printed material is provided), and think as much as remaining resources allow, because without notes the words spoken and written will mostly vanish. Here I overlook the possibility that one's memory is so excellent and so practiced that one truly can perfectly remember things one does not understand. The latter possibility is very important to cultivate, but this question wouldn't have arisen at all if that were already in reach.
And, yes, in advanced courses and seminars, although I've gotten over the surprise, I am baffled at the claim that people can't usefully take notes. The usual claim is that by not taking notes they think about the material in real time. This would be great if it were usefully true, but I find that my students do not have total recall... so that mostly they have neither notes nor recollection.
Perhaps the main practical trick to learn is to be able to write, very fast, without looking at the paper, and be able to "copy" the visual layout of the blackboard (whiteboard, whatever) without necessarily stopping listening to the audio. Yes, this does require a lot of effort, but, hopefully, it gains something.
Belated Edit: thinking about (perceptions of the idea of) "learning styles"... If the material in a class is truly available in many places, and the instructor has no insights to offer, is just rehearsing it for those too passive to do it themselves, well, sure, note-taking is a dubious ritual. But, as my biased language was entirely meant to communicate, there's no operational issue there. There is of course the risk that the students fail to appreciate that the instructor offers genuinely new insights, but nevermind. A much more serious issue arises if we're talking about more-advanced graduate-level material. Of course, once again, if the lectures are mere quotations from a standard text or extant notes, with no "added value", ... sure, scant need to write anything down. However, and I think this is the interesting and most dangerous case, if, heaven willing, your instructor is really an expert with hard-to-objectify understanding of significant things, one should expect to fail to understand, or seem to understand but actually fail, or ... so having a written transcript to study later and deconstruct is incredibly useful.
That is, in the interesting/serious/dangerous situations, it's not about "learning styles", but about preservation of information per se. All my experience indicates that students misjudge the cut-off for this, too, so, ...

"I am baffled at the claim that people can't usefully take notes" - All I can say is, I would encourage you to consider the possibility that some people's learning style may be different than yours, and to be tolerant of different learning styles. It sounds like you've concluded that everyone ought to take notes, but from my own personal experience in school, I learned more in most classes when I did not take notes. This may not be the way your brain works -- but it is the way that mine worked, for better or worse. Different people learn best in different ways.

@D.W., somehow only just noticed... I am not convinced that this is about "learning styles". If one is blessed with an amazing memory, that can include things one does not understand at the time, this is wonderful, and obviously no notes are necessary. Otherwise, my point about notes is that it affords some chance to reconsider later things that were incomprehensible at the time. Srsly, I am not aware that this can be a "learning style" issue, without some assumption of incredible (eidetic?) memory. For that matter, I know of essentially $0$ cases where peoples' claims of doing better ...

... not taking notes resulted in any apparent recollection of things... perhaps sad to say. If I were to be a little harsher, I'd claim that, yes, obviously, taking notes is a chore, all the worse when one doesn't quite understand what's happening (and I agree I myself tried to avoid it until I got to grad school at Princeton, when I realized the infeasibility), but it is a rationalization. In some decades of observation and personal experience I see nearly zero credibility to claims of understanding better without it... except in cases of experienced experts... and often, even then, ... not.

One of my professors forbid to take notes during the lecture, unless it helps you learn and memorize during the lecture. The slides were available online.


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Tips for making online presentation over Skype
I am about to complete my PhD. My area is functional analytic/ operator theoretic aspects of quantum information. I am applying for post-doctoral  positions in various places. Recently, one group called me for presentation/ interview over Skype. It should consist of a presentation (20 minutes) and 20 minutes interview. My questions are the following:

What are the common things one should focus while presenting online, and what I should avoid (say, in my slide, or oral comments etc).
The people who called me for interview are physicists (my work is connected to quantum information). As a mathematics student, what is the best way to make myself presentable in these cases.

Some background: I have two publications, some old preprints (arxiv, on discrete mathematics, but not published and not connected with my present research) and a few in draft form (not submitted in arxiv yet). Published papers are not mathematically very exiting, but came up in some reasonably good and well reputed physics journals. Also what I am afraid is, they are not reviewed in math review (many papers from the same journal are frequently reviewed though).
I am a bit afraid, as this is my first time of appearing in such interview (and the reasons mentioned above). Advanced thanks for your helps and suggestions.

Welcome. You'll find lots of help in answers to the existing interview questions on this site

@PavelM i asked them, and they are not very clear in their answer. they asked for my slides before the talk.

The questions seems to touch three separate issues: presentation via Skype, interview via Skype and presenting quantum information from the perspective of a maths student. Each of them is a good interesting question, but please consider splitting them.

@PiotrMigdal I think the last edit by Shyam took care of the first part. I am asking a separate question http://academia.stackexchange.com/q/5986/4462 regarding the last point.

Thank you @Shyam. I am expecting some more tips, does and don'ts for skype interviews.

@PavelM for sharing his useful insights. i request the readers to share their ideas/ experiences as well. i of course can not accept more than one answer at a time. however i can thank all of you as well as put an up vote :)

The question asks a number of things. I am going to focus on interviewing over Skype/video conferencing since it is extremely difficult to do correctly. The issues associated with interviewing is very different from presenting.
Some things to consider when doing a Skype interview

Location: You need a private setting, a good internet connection, a backup landline, good lighting, and good acoustics. I suggest investing in a off white sheet to use as a backdrop. It is also useful for the camera to be directly in front of you so that it appears you are looking at them when you look at the screen. Make sure you have your notes and a drink within reach.
Timing: You need to know when the interview is happening including the timezone and who is initiating the call. You also need to know what happens if there is a problem. You do not want to lose your valuable interview time to technical problems.
Attendees: Once the interview starts, you need to know who is in the room and where they are sitting. If there are people you cannot see, ask them to move. Ask each person to introduce themselves and make sure you can hear them. During this stage you need to get a baseline read on their facial expressions. You also need to know where they are sitting so that you can "look at them". The slight eye shift required to look at them on the screen is likely not exaggerated enough. Practice this.
Control: Make sure you know who asks each question. Ideally use peoples names so they know you are talking to them. If you don't hear the question, ask them to repeat it. Check that they can hear and see you frequently.
Gestures: You need to minimize your gestures, pointing, and figitng. They are really noticeable on Skype.

Maybe get a good-quality headset as well.

@UweZiegenhagen I would actually advise against wearing a headset as they are visually distracting and can hide the mouth which is useful for speech reading. A good mic falls under the acoustics part.

It depends on the audio quality of the webcam. I have made the experience, that a dedicated headset can make a huge difference. At least have one at hand if the quality turns out to be bad.


text:
Being quoted for an incorrect statement
Once I expressed an opinion on a question in a discussion with a person working on the problem. My opinion didn't work in its original form but could be modified a little to make it correct, i.e., although not completely correct it contained useful information.
Recently I found that the person I was having the discussion with has quoted me in a paper in an incorrect form by mentioning that I'd expressed the statement. But he has made no claims about its correctness. The person never asked me later for explanation and didn't even check if the way he is quoting me is correct. The discussion was brief and spoken. And he did not even send me a copy of his paper afterwards.
I feel that he should have asked me for clarification before quoting me in the paper or at least he should have given me notice that he is quoting it. At the time of the discussion he agreed to what I said and told me he would contact me about it and even send me a draft.
I don't like being quoted for a statement I don't know, and moreover I am a little bit pissed off by his action (quoting a brief informal discussion about a possible proof of some result without notifying me or asking me for clarification). What should I do now?
The paper is not published yet, it is on arxiv.org.

Is the paper published? If so, you could write a letter to the editor clarifying the situation. The editor may decide to publish the letter if s/he deems it appropriate.

Unless he grossly misrepresented your opinion as you expressed it at the time, I'm not sure you have a legitimate complaint.  So you said something that turned out to be wrong.  So what?

@JeffE: It depends on the situation.  Suppose someone asked me whether 2047 was prime, and (not knowing that 2047=23*89) I said I thought it was.  I'd be really annoyed if they later quoted me in a paper as their source for the primality of 2047, since spreading that error would be a disservice to the readers and to me, even though technically it would be a correct quote.  When you're quoting someone, if it's something you can check, you should; if it's something you can't check, then you should carefully confirm with them to make sure you are correctly quoting a well thought-out statement.

(Of course, this is for research papers, where the idea is to present something true and to give correct attribution.  In a historical survey, recounting someone's mistakes might be fully justified, if they played an important role in the history.)

Contact the author first.  Assume the best, that their memory is faulty, and suggest alternative text in a friendly manner.  If you do not get a response, contact the editor of the journal they have submitted to.
Ultimately though a lot of people get misquoted, and a lot of publications get misunderstood & cited inappropriately.  If it's really a big deal you might get a publication out of contradicting it, but otherwise just be glad that people think you are important enough to mention.  It's better than not being given credit for your own ideas!


text:
Worry about stealing of research ideas
I have gotten an idea in the field of Computer Science that it can result in a research paper. The problem is that I lack the adequate background in one part needed for this research, mostly mathematical stuff. I have contacted one professor in Europe by email, and asked some mild questions about some topics that could be helpful. The doubt that I have is if I should better tell to that professor about my whole research idea, so maybe he/she would be able to help me more.
Actually I am a university lecturer and independent researcher, but in the university that I am working they do not give any salary or benefits for making research. I am doing this mostly because I like it.
Should I tell to that professor my whole idea? or maybe that person could steal it and because he/she has research funds can do it and leaving me aside?

"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats." Howard H. Aiken (Quote according to Wikiquote).

You need to consider what role you want the math professor to take: are you looking for a co-author, a collaborator, a consultant, or a service provider.
Since you lack background in one area and are working in a place that does not prioritize publications, I would consider bring the individual on as a co-author. If that is your decision you need to provide the co-author with everything you are planning on doing so that he/she can make an informed decision. This obviously puts you at risk of being scooped. This then leads to the question of how to minimize the chances of being scooped. The first thing to remember is most researchers do not want to get into a publish first race. Scooping tends to be accidental and a result of two people independently starting the same/similar projects. You can minimize your chances by contacting an established person who is known to play "nice". The second thing you can do is to bring the research along as far as you can without the collaborator. This means they will be starting from so far back that it is unwise to enter the race.

a co-author, a collaborator, a consultant, or a service provider — Hint: Nobody wants to be a service provider.

@JeffE: then what are you doing on StackExchange? :-)

He's being a consultant :)

...or a collaborator.

And occasionally, if he's editing a community-wiki answer, a co-author!

This is a common in most fields, I am not a mathematician and hear it occassionally in my field as well. The simple answer is that there are never any guarantees against that someone will/can "steal" an idea. I write quotation marks because there is a grey zone between really taking it and getting own similar ideas based on pieces of information.
One way to establish "ownership" of the idea is to provide something tangible that provides documentation of the idea with your name on it such as an abstract from a conference, poster contribution or something similar. I cannot see if this would be possible in your case, given that you say you are lacking some pieces.
Approaching another scientist to establish a collaboration is a good idea. I would not use the suspicion that the idea will be stolen as a basic assumption, the large majority of scientists do not steal ideas in my opinion. So the problem is to increase your knowledge about the person(s) you intend to contact. Does someone in your neighbourhod know the person(s)? Try to hear if they have a reputation (good or bad, no partuclar reputation is also good in my opinion). Then write and ask about the interest in collaborating, specifying what expertise you seek in the collaoration. How much you wish to reveal of your complete idea is difficult to say but you will have to provide enough detail to clearly explain why the sought expertise is required. If you then have some way to indicate the your idea is known as your idea by others, it may work as a deterrent but I would avoid being to "paranoid" in the first approach.
I do not know if this will help you in your quest but getting to know your possible contact will help to remove the unknowns which are instrumental in building your uncertainty.

+1 for presenting: you could present the basics of your idea, and use it as an advertising pitch to get collaborators to help you flesh things out further.

I don't have a big academic experience yet, but would like to share what I learnt.
First of all if you have an idea you can write a technical report where you describe what you doing, what you found up to that point. If you place the technical report on the University website, you can always say that you started with the idea and you wanted to develop it to a research paper but you have a trace that it is yours. (If you don't have data and results yet, you can write technical note where you describe what you going to do)
Second thing I learned is that if you have a good name on your paper just after your one, the paper will be somehow "stronger". Probably researchers will look first for the name of a well known professor and his publications instead of your one if you don't have many. Your name should be first anyway as it is your idea. In future your paper will be cited more often and will get better score. As far as I know it is worth to have co-authors.

You already asked him some mild questions. Obviously, you feel that the answer from him is not enough for you to go on. You need more info for you to carry out your research.
Ethically speaking, if he participates in your research, you need to give him credits for his contribution. At the very least, you need to mention him in the Acknowledgement section in your paper.
Or, you can cite his contribution in the paper. I have seen authors do this by saying some thing like

J. Doe (private communication, 2013).

You can refer to this link
It would be even better to include him as a coauthor. It’s up to you.
If you want to be the single author of the paper and worry that he might steal your idea after you tell him details of your idea, then I would suggest you to

Narrow down the math stuff to general math only questions.

You are working on CS related research, he may or may not know what you are up to. He may not even be interested in your CS subject. Most mathematicians just want to do math stuff only.
Once you can narrow down your questions to math only, not only you can ask him but also you can ask your questions on public forums such as our sister site Math SE or MathOverflow. (I see that you already asked a question on Math SE. Have you tried MO?)

Collaboration (and co-authoring) is generally a good thing in science.  Very few people can be a real expert in more than one field, so if you lack the skills needed to write a solid paper, recruit someone as a collaborator (but always make sure that their contribution is appropriately rewarded or other researchers won't want to work with you).
I would tell the prof that you have a good idea for a paper, but that you need to work with a mathematician and ask him/her if he/she would like to collaborate, and then decide whether to tell him/her the details once you hear what sort of terms would suit him/her.  Be direct and up-front about what you want; it may not go down too well if the Prof. gets the idea that you are trying to milk them for the information you want via the "mild questions" without them getting due credit.
In my experience though, the easiest way to get a mathematician you can trust is to marry one. ;o)

Using arXiv (http://arxiv.org) rather than the university depository would be even better as arXiv has a reliable time stamp.

First, I strongly suggest you to study THAT yourself.
At the end  of the day, if the "professor" collaborates with you, and if he made a mistake, you will be to blame as well.
Likely, the "professor" will tell you things like "sure I can help you" when in reality he will pass it to one of his PhD students.
You claim to have a Computer Science degree, right?
Then, you have some math background. Well, use that to study that for yourself. Get better on math. Do not think about the paper now, but about learning.
As a researcher you have learn so do it.
Then, if you further believe you want help, look for it.
(Maybe I can help you, btw)
Good luck :)

Why the scare quotes around professor?  Also, your answer sounds very cynical: "At the end of the day, if the "professor" collaborates with you, and if he made a mistake, you will be to blame as well." Well, sure: all coauthors are "to blame" for any mistakes in their paper.  No problem there.  "Likely, the "professor" will tell you things like "sure I can help you" when in reality he will pass it to one of his PhD students." I'm not sure why you think that's likely -- I've never seen or done it -- but if the professor puts the OP in touch with someone else who can help him: sounds good.

"Get better at math." Well, there's some constructive, actionable advice. While you're at it, get richer, get more attractive and get better at playing the piano.


text:
How to explain not listing my PhD supervisor as a reference?
I need advice on how to explain during a job interview why I am not listing my PhD supervisor as a reference. I have a third interview for a job as a scientist at a startup company.
Previously, my supervisor caused me to lose a job offer by saying I had bad presentation and communication skills. That was when I was applying for a job as an FAS so that would be a much larger component. My supervisor and I had disagreements on writing my thesis with regards to how the 'story' was told.
The second interview required a 30 min talk about my work and yet I still made it to the next round.
I have my MSc. supervisor, a committee member/co-author and my department head as references instead. I realize this isn't as good, but I can't predict what he will say so I don't want to list him.
What can I say if the interviewer (a scientist, as the company has no HR) asks why I didn't list my former boss? And what are the chances he will be contacted anyways?

Did your supervisor say that you had bad presentation and communication skills because you had disagreements on how to write your thesis story, or do you actually have bad presentation and communication skills, relative to other PhD students?

He thought the disagreement was an example of my poor communication skills. Basically we didn't agree with what order to present information in.

wow, I would never understand why PhD students tolerate such behavior. you need to find post doc

Since this is an interview for a non-academic job, you might get better answers at Workplace.SE.

Whatever you say, do not lie. They might contact him and if it turns out that you lie about the reason not to mention him as ref, you are probably out. So instead say the actual reason, without speculations and accusations.
One way to go could be:

We had disagreements on a few points recently when writing up my thesis and haven't talked it out yet

If you have additional references from third parties (colleagues or similar) explain that you consider the collaboration you had with them to be more intense and on the field, therefore they may provide more sincere opinions.
If this said they insist they want to contact your previous supervisor although you have explicitly stated he is not a reference then let them do so and consider that you may not want to work in environments where your (honest) decisions are worked around.


text:
Is there a need to mention page numbers from a book in APA 6?
I am citing some books in me work. Normally there referenced from google scholar are without page numbers, see below. My question is with the APA-6  method should I add the page number to this kind of quote?
Makhlouf, A. S. H., & Aliofkhazraei, M. (2015). Handbook of Materials Failure Analysis with Case Studies from the Oil and Gas Industry: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Independently of APA's (or any other style's) requirements, you should provide enough information for the reader to find whatever you're referring to. I get annoyed when a paper invokes a theorem from some book, gives a reference to the book, but doesn't tell me where in the book to find that particular theorem. (I get even more annoyed when it turns out that the book doesn't contain that theorem but rather another one that's based on the same idea and therefore counts as "the same" in the author's imagination.)

APA 6 seems clear on this: you should include the page numbers if it is relevant to a paragraph or chapter or you are directly quoting text, see the image (source https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476096):