text:
Importance of PhD grade for future career in physics research?
I recently obtained my PhD in physics from one of the Max Planck Institutes in Germany. Unfortunately, I only barely passed with a "rite" grade (the lowest passing grade here in Germany). This is despite my supervisor (and head examiner) going through my thesis with me during the writing process and giving me corrections and advice along the way which I duly implemented. Before handing the thesis in, my supervisor remarked that this was a very good thesis and will likely obtain a good mark.
However, I was told in the exam that both my thesis and oral exam had been graded poorly, even though my presentation was on time and was aimed well (according to my colleagues, director of the institute and day-to-day supervisor who was also in the room). I could not answer some questions in the oral exam simply because they were outside of my field, for example I was asked about stellar formation and ion drives despite me being an experimental physicist working on MBE (molecular-beam epitaxy) crystal growth. To add insult to injury, my supervisor said he was disappointed in me and that I should have done better, despite his previous comments.
It is also worth noting that my supervisor and I did not have the best relationship: he once said that a mistake I had made in an APS talk would "destroy my career in science" and that when I began to suffer from severe mental health problems from the stress of my thesis and a close family bereavement, he refused to let me take time off, forcing me to get a doctors note for me to take time off.
I am currently in a new postdoc position at a reputable research institution in Germany, and my new supervisors have both said that the grade does not matter since I have the position and what matters now is my publication list. But I have seen conflicting things online regarding this. What is your opinion? In your experience, does this matter at all? I would particularly like to hear from scientists.
Thank you in advance.
(P.S. It is also worth noting that I received no corrections to my thesis, which I have been told is very unusual)
(P.P.S Just to respond to some of the questions or comments given in prior answers. I am English so my original intention was to return to the UK and look for a research position, I am not interested in a Professorship. My university shows the grade on the doctoral certificate so there is no real way of hiding this at all. I have tried contacting my supervisor to ask for his logic regarding the grade he awarded me but I have so far heard nothing back.)

How visible is this grade to possible employers?

@Buffy I have no idea, hence I am asking

No one here can answer then. Is it on your transcript or record of the degree in any way? Was it known to your current employer before you were hired?

@Buffy As far as I am aware, it does not appear on the certificate. I was asking in case anyone in academia had an opinion regarding how these grades effect a career in science. My employer hired me with the expectation that I would attain my PhD, regardless of grade.

They only affect anything if they are known. If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?

"he refused to let me take time off, forcing me to get a doctors notice for me to take time off."  It depends a bit on how much time off you took but that's not necessarily unusual and in fact might be required by the funding agencies if you take a prolonged leave of absence (especially if you are still being paid during your leave).

You may want to check our archives; there have been many asked-and-answered questions about whether grad school grades matter, and why they don’t.

I hope you are feeling better. Best wishes.

Related: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/139502/i-believe-my-phd-dissertation-was-unfairly-graded-too-low-cum-laude-what-shou

@ZeroTheHero It was a four week absence in the end. My mental health was really in shambles

@colorofeternity22 I would probably have asked for a doctor’s note as well, just to make it clear to everyone that  the student is not taking vacation time and is on medical leave, and to officially relieve the student from the pressure of answering emails or meeting deadlines…

I've never even heard of PhDs being graded... It's a pass/fail in most of the world

"This is despite my supervisor (and head examiner) going through my thesis with me during the writing process and giving me corrections and advice along the way which I duly implemented. Before handing the thesis in, my supervisor remarked that this was a very good thesis and will likely obtain a good mark." vs "(P.S. It is also worth noting that I received no corrections to my thesis, which I have been told is very unusual)" .
Because they already give you the corrections beforehand.

Note that MPIs can't award PhDs – the degree-giving institution is the university the MPI is associated with. This is relevant because then you have to meet the expectations of the Department of Physics of that university, and are graded according to them. The committee will consist of university members, which usually includes people from the MPI as well, but the hierarchical position of your MPI supervisor in the committee may vary. All this can account for the discrepancy between your (self-)perceived performance at the MPI and the grade of your PhD.

Not sure about Europe, but in the US or Canada no one will ever know about your grade -- and no one will be interested to know it. The quality (and, let us face it, the quanity) of your papers will really matter, as well as the rank of the journals where you publish. And, of course, reference letters. Also your visibility at high-profile professional conferences. These are the only relevant parameters for any hiring committee. I suspect, in Europe it will be the same.
In short, just forget about that negative experience, and move on.

Does a dissertation even get a grade in Canada? I think it is pretty rare in US.

@Buffy Never heard about such a thing being done in Canada. In the US, I was several times a member of thesis defense committees, and at those schools it was just a yes or no system, with no grades.

@Michael_1812 Ok thank you for the feedback

My PhD from a fairly well-known US school was "with honors". I didn't find out about this until years later, when a government fellowship required a transcript. It certainly wasn't in any of the paperwork I submitted and nobody said a thing to me. The best part is, to this day, I haven't been able to find out what the criteria for a PhD is.

In 20 years in the US, nobody has ever asked me about the grade on my (German) PhD.

All German PhDs get a grade, German institutions are obviously aware of that and will look at that grade in an application. But you are correct, it is of very minor importance at that level. A university hiring a postdoc is mostly interested in their research and papers, not in grades.

@colorofeternity22 I also wish to congratulate you on your receiving a postdoctoral position at a good place. The very fact that you got a postdoc -- simply this fact by itself -- is a safe indication that no one really cares about that grade.  So, please, forget about it. It is not woirth your time and energy.

Sorry, but "just forget about that negative experience, and move on" is really bad advice for @colorofeternity22's situation. As pointed out in other answers, if OP intends to stay in Germany the PhD grade "rite" can turn out to be a severe obstacle for a career in academia, even many years later. So I suggest to add a big disclaimer to this answer pointing out that this does not apply to OP's current country. (For the record, I'm not saying that I endorse that particular German idiosyncrasy - but it is important for the OP to beware that it exists and can be a big deal.)

@JochenGlueck, I'd also add that, if he were pursuing a move to the US or Canada (and probably elsewhere) letters of recommendation can be important, as this answer suggests, and the negative relationship the questioner (colorofeternity22) reports with his supervisor could be quite relevant.

@JochenGlueck Tears and despair never help. Good publications do. After the questioner publishes a sufficient number of good works. it is they that will define his/her status in science, not his/her PhD thesis.

@Michael_1812: Nor does ignoring facts help. In many (all?) federal states in Germany, becoming a professor requires by law to have a very good PhD dissertation; exceptions might be possible in some cases but are certainly rare. For some other permanent positions in Germany it might not be required formally, but "rite" is still likely to be a significant obstacle. Academia is extremely competative in many fields and having a "rite" PhD thesis puts you at a significant disadvantage in Germany. Just hand-waving this away with the phrase "forget about it and do good work" does OP a disfavour.

@JochenGlueck It is exactly the case for this prayer: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." While the questioner cannot change the grade, (s)he still can damage his/her health my useless tears and regrets. His/her time and energies would be much better spent for good research.

@user253751 Do you have a constructive recommendation for the questioner? Can you opropose a strategy that would change the grade? I guess, no. Then the only reasonable way for the questioner is to move on, to keep building their scientific reputation, and -- most importantly -- to preserve their sanity and health.

For an academic career in Germany, this is a big deal.
Having received a rite for your doctorate is going to be a huge blow for your chances to ever be appointed to a professorship in Germany. Picking you over someone with summa cum laude would just open up the selection committee to all kinds of appeals.
As many of the other answers have pointed out, this is probably not too much of an issue abroad. However, there is always a chance of someone in the committee knowing that German doctorates have grades, and those ought to be either summa cum laude or magna cum laude. I'd certainly consider a rite a dark orange flag in a job application, and I am not at a German institution.

Who said anything about a "professorship"?

As for outside of Germany, people might "know that PhDs have grades in Germany" but that does not mean that they will ask for it. No application in any country I've ever lived in has ever asked for the "grade" of my PhD.

@user1271772 But they will quite likely ask for the PhD diploma, no? And that contains the grade.

@HenrikSchumacher for most research jobs the certificate is not requested. For professorships, it's usually not requested until the final stage, after a selection has already been made. Even then, it would usually be seen by HR-type people rather than academics who might be more likely to know what "rite" means (unless the committee has doubts about whether or not a PhD was earned).

@HenrikSchumacher, outside Germany HR might check just whether your PhD diploma is real, if it is a strict requirement for the job. I don't think any academic will ever look at it. So outside of Germany this will be a complete non-issue. And at least in some fields I don't think it will matter in Germany anymore either because they hire by actual research competence (and most competition will be international and so will have no grade so a comparison doesn't make sense anyway).

Specifically about appeals I would think judging the grade is the more discriminating and therefore more appealable approach. At a good institute most applications should be international and come without a grade. Judging based on the grade therefore inherently gives a disadvantage (or perhaps advantage) to people with a German PhD.

@Kvothe I have been member in several selection commitees for professor positions in Germany. If you have several dozen applicants for a single position, then you certainly do not pick one with a "rite" in their PhD. Already "cum laude" would quite likely be discarded without any mention. That might be sad, but that is how it is. So the best advice that I can give to OP is: Apply abroad -- or move on.

@HenrikSchumacher, is that in a field where professors are regularly hired directly after a PhD? If so I think that is a quite different situation. Usually more recent results are more important. If you are applying right after a PhD of course the PhD evaluation is the last result and I can understand its evaluation being deemed important at that time.

@Kvothe Nope, not really. The PhD grade might be irrelevant if the applicant made it to a reputable professor position abroad. But if you ask me, if a German PhD commitee in the natural sciences grades with "rite", then it wants to send a certain message, not only to the doctoral student, but also to fellow researchers. "Rite" is not only understood, but also meant as a red flag for academic jobs. Believe me that I'd be glad if I were wrong.

Just for the records: There are 4 possible grades: "rite" -- which one could translate to "C", "cum laude" (roughly corresponds to a "B"), "magna cum laude" (it's an "A") and "summa cum laude" (an "A with distinctions" -- typically this can be granted only if three things happen: (i) thesis and defence were graded with "magna cum laude", (ii) the supervisions asks for it, and (iii) the committee (typically 6 professors) votes for it unanimously). So "rite" is the worst possible grade. (If the thesis or defence are rejected, then there won't be any grade. The applicant just did not pass.)

@user1271772
"Who said anything about a "professorship"?" When we are talking about a long-term positions in German academia, then we are factually talking about professorships.

@HenrikSchumacher: this is totally new to me, so I'm curious what that "message" would  be. If a person comes with a good standing in the research community, good papers, and does a good interview, a poor grade on the thesis defense tells me more about the committee than about the candidate.

@MartinArgerami I'd like to the following post (which was already link to this thread): https://academia.stackexchange.com/a/139558/103311. The top answer there explains it better than I ever could.

I consider most of the existing answers to be a bit short-sighted:
Yes, most other countries do not have grades on PhDs (and not ask for them either) and even in some hiring processes in Germany, you might get around revealing your PhD grade. But in those hiring processes, there will be something that replaces the PhD grade, because at the end of the day, people want to have something more than your interview performance to base their hiring decision on. In many systems, what replaces the PhD grade are reference letters, and a typical reference would be your PhD advisor. If your PhD advisor contributed to giving you a rite on your PhD¹, he will likely not give you stellar references either.
Now, you can rely on other references and other demonstrations of your skill like your publication record. But having to do that is an extra challenge and could eventually be what tips the scales in favour of another candidate. So, having a bad PhD grade or bad relationship to your PhD advisor, respectively, does have an influence on your career.
That being said, you already took the most difficult hurdle in such circumstances, namely getting your first postdoc position. (As you mentioned, this position was granted to you before your PhD defense, so this doesn’t necessarily reflect the importance of your PhD grade.) Your postdoc supervisor(s) are of course alternative sources of reference letters.
As already mentioned in some answers, German hiring processes are different and might require you to have a good PhD grade by law (see this answer of mine for details).
For example, I almost certainly wouldn’t have gotten my current position with a rite PhD, even with everything else being equal.
I also interviewed for many positions for which a rite would have clearly disqualified me.
Finally, let me note that rite is almost absurdly bad. This grade is very rarely given, not only due to grade inflation but also because the respective people usually drop out of their PhDs. It also usually reflects poorly on the advisor because it suggests they did not properly train you, etc. This can actually work in your advantage: For example, if I received an application from you with a rite PhD, I would assume it as likely that your supervisor/committee made a mistake as that your grade was actually deserved. The odds are even better if you have a decent publication record or anything else demonstrating that you have the skills a PhD grade should reflect. I would probably try to contact your supervisor and if he doesn’t give a solid explanation for your grade (which is not that easy), I wouldn’t give much on it.

¹ It is worth checking your PhD examination rules on how the grade is determined. For example, in most rules I know, the supervisor’s is responsible for half the grade, but yours might differ.

I would assume it as likely that your supervisor/committee made a mistake as that your grade was actually deserved. As someone who knows nothing about the German system, that is exactly the impression that the whole thing caused on me. It is not a nice thing for a supervisor to let an unprepared student go to the defense, nor for the committee to not give feedback.

@MartinArgerami: There's something peculiar about PhDs at most German universities: your supervisor is usually also your first reviewer. This can actually be beneficial for the PhD candidate if they have a functioning relationship with their supervisor, but it can also be very harmful e.g. if candidate and supervisor get into a fight about what should and what should not be part of the thesis. I've been in the audience of a defense in which candidate and supervisor continued their academic (but also interpersonal) quarrels, and the result was indeed a career-ending poor grade.

Following up on the comment stream, I doubt that you have anything to worry about. A doctorate is a (near) terminal degree (yes, I know about habilitation in Germany) and having it is usually enough.
The general assumption (by most folks) is that your faculty was happy enough with you to grant the degree and they were the ones best qualified to make the decision.
The reputation of your advisor and your university has some small repetitional value early on, but grades, even for a dissertation, much less.
After that, as your supervisor says, it is up to what you do (publications and such) after you finish.
It isn't impossible that it would have a negative effect if known but not universally and also, not likely to be known. Not widely known, anyway. Relax.

I'd translate the German PhD grades roughly as follows summa cum laude - great work. Magna cum laude - good. cum laude - borderline acceptable. And rite is "we'd fail you if failing were actually an option". Granting someone a PhD with a rite does not mean that the faculty was happy enough to grant them the degree, but rather the opposite.

@Arno - Then why did they grant them the degree? Surely it's not as easy as submitting something barely resembling a thesis to pass a PhD in Germany...

@Arno That is not quite true, at least not in mathematics as far as I can tell. "Summa" is (still) considered outstanding and exceptionally excellent. Unlike other degrees (Bachelor, Master, etc.) there has been very like inflation when it comes to PhD grades. In some universities you can only obtain "summa" when three referees were in involved (instead of two).

*little inflation

It won't have any impact on your career
So first I should say congratulations on finding a postdoc, and this is the reason I say it won't have any impact on your career. I should also say, I've been living in Germany for the past few years doing a post-doc and this is the first time I heard that there are grades for PhDs here.
The role of the PhD is to teach you how to do research and to make you a world renown expert of a very specific sub-field of your discipline. The role of the post-doc is to let you develop your brand of research, get a wider sense of what is going on in your field, build your academic network, and to check you didn't just "get lucky" regarding your successes in your PhD. Given that you have a position already the most likely (though I would still judge it as unlikely) point where a "rite" grade would impact your career has already passed. Now people will be looking at your papers to assess if your expertise is what they want to hire, and checking that you can be productive in multiple research groups.
Regarding grants, I doubt they'd be able to judge you on having a "rite" grade, mainly because it would be discriminatory and the grading for investigators tend to be about papers published, which journals they were published in, and students/postdocs supervised (when reaching an appropriate level). Keep in mind that if you and me put in for the same grant I could have just barely passed my PhD and because my PhD was ungraded they can't apply the same standard to me as they would be applying to you if they struck a mark off you for this "rite" grade. Since I believe Germany is unusual in grading PhDs, how other countries do this will dominate the importance of the grade, in-fact you could probably just leave the grade off unless the grant application document specifically says that grades must be included if given.

@colorofeternity22 since you mentioned you had been suffering from severe mental health problems, if you are still stressing out about this maybe it might be worth bringing this question to your therapist if you have one, or if not then bring it to a trusted friend/college who can help you process this and verify that may other people don't believe this will have any impact on your future and can be left behind.

It might depend on the country, but outside of Germany I can't see this making a difference for most countries (possible exception being other German-speaking countries).
I'm fairly certain from my experience of studying and working mostly in the UK that no-one will know about your grade if you apply for a job in the UK.  I'm not sure they would even understand the meaning if you tell them about the grade.
If applying for academic jobs in non-German-speaking countries I would just say you got your PhD on your CV and leave it at that unless anyone asks for more information.
Your rite grade might disqualify you from continuing further in the German academic environment, however, but I assume you already knew that.

What does this add, that the other answers don't?

Answer: It won't matter in most countries
My PhD (which was in a similar field to yours) was from the UK and afterwards I worked at universities in Japan, Singapore, USA, and Canada (plus I did long research visits in other countries), and yet I've never heard of a PhD thesis having a "grade".
Therefore, if you apply for a research position in any one of those countries (and likely many others!), it is very unlikely that you would be asked for your thesis "grade", and what will matter the most is your list of publications, your reference letters, your research proposal (for cases in which it is required), and perhaps your relationship to the person making the decision (for example if you're applying to work as a post-doctoral researcher that is supervised by someone that loves interacting with you at conferences).
Comments: On some of what you said

"However, I was told in the exam that both my thesis and oral exam had been graded poorly, even though my presentation was on time and was aimed well"

The fact that your presentation was "on time" does not shield you from getting a bad grade.

"It is also worth noting that I received no corrections to my thesis, which I have been told is very unusual)."

You are right. It is very unusual for a thesis to pass without any suggested (or required) corrections. However, if they asked you to make corrections, they would have to (at least in principle) look at your thesis another time to verify that they have been made in a satisfactory way, and since you "did not have the best relationship" with your supervisor, and the examiners didn't seem to like your thesis as much as you had hoped, it is possible that they all wanted for the entire ordeal to end sooner rather than later.

I would actually think that receiving no corrections simply means that the OP's supervisor didn't do their job. It is essentially impossible for someone to carefully read a thesis and not find anything that can be improved. We always find things in other people's work, even if it's just something that can be written in a clearer way: we all think we write things clearly but one is are so familiar with one's own thesis subject that there will always be cases where things are not as clear to others as they were to the author.

@terdon the answer states they got corrections from their supervisor during the writing process, presumably they mean they got no corrections from the committee after submitting. Still doesn't paint the best light on their supervisor though, if this result was a surprise after that editing process

@llama the way OP talks about corrections (and their surprise at having to get a medical note for time of due to mental health) makes me suspect they're generally rather confused about how things work in German universities.

This grade might appear on your graduate school transcript and therefore might be seen by a hiring committee that asks for such a transcript. However, outside of Germany, it's probably unlikely to have much of an impact and may not noticed or understood.
In applying for faculty jobs in the US and Canada, I have been asked for graduate school transcripts (and, a few times, undergraduate transcripts). Usually, the postings that ask for these transcripts are for teaching-focused positions, but not always (I was asked for them for a few research-focused positions as well).
I have no idea what a German grad school transcript would look like or if it would include this grade. A grade for the PhD defense, even if present on the transcript, might be ignored by hiring committee members from outside the German system because they wouldn't understand it (especially if it is untranslated) or because they wouldn't expect to see it (if such a grade doesn't exist in their academic culture). Unless the committee had someone trained in the German system who knew what to look for, a hiring committee in the US (or many other places) would probably not bother to try to understand what the "rite" on your German transcript meant.
In any case, I'm not sure how much these hiring committees care about any graduate school grades, even the ones who ask for graduate school transcripts. Presumably it's considered together with a lot of other documents and might only have an impact if it's a very teaching-focused position, there are other red flags in the application, or there are two candidates of exceptionally similar competitiveness for the position.

Why would it particularly matter for a teaching-focused position? PhD grades are not related to teaching at all. 2) The typical German PhD would come with a diploma/certificate, not with a transcript as there is no coursework involved. 3) At least my PhD diploma states the grade in three different ways (Latin, German, numerical). If you translate it, you will get an idea about the grade. (If you don’t translate it, you have no chance to understand it.)

@Wrzlprmft (1) In my experience, job searches for teaching-focused positions more often ask for academic transcripts. Maybe the assumption is that it would be difficult to teach classes that you got Cs in? For research-focused positions, they are going to be more concerned with your publications, talks, and research plan. (2) If you apply to a job that asks for a graduate transcript, what would you send them? (3) I don't think I've seen US job postings that ask for your diploma. Here diplomas are mostly ceremonial things with little information other than name, date, and area.

There are no classes in a usual German PhD, so there is nothing to have a C in. 2) I would send them my certificate/diploma for my master’s equivalent, which is the closest equivalent (and explain this). 3) Whether you call it diploma, certificate or something else (this doesn’t translate one-to-one anyway), it’s the piece of paper that – in theory – should convince somebody that you hold a PhD.

@Wrzlprmft For (2), I think you could just say that your German PhD had no classes and just send them a transcript from your previous studies. Then the "rite" thing would probably never come up.

The thesis grade has 0 importance, period.  Nobody will ask you about it.  Really: nobody cares about this, and I don’t recall this ever being a topic of conversation.
I can’t recall my grade and I’m not even sure I got one.  I’ve been on PhD examination committees and I can’t remember ever formally assigning a grade.  This hasn’t stop me, any colleague, anyone I’ve supervised or anyone whom I’ve examined of continuing in physics.
What matters is what you did, as witnessed by your publication record and your letters of reference.

Germany is different.

@JackAidley that may be so but has this ever affected anything?

It's not clear from the question whether the OP wants to continue working in Germany. If they do, saying that "the thesis grade has 0 importance, period" is a very bold claim – especially as a rite PhD grade may disqualify your application on formal grounds for senior positions at many German universities. That's why "Germany is different" is a relevant comment to your answer.

@Schmuddi I just learned something.  I don't remember this "grade" on the thesis I examined (some years ago) but maybe I was just not tuned into this procedure.


text:
About Staying back for Masters before joining a PhD offer in Hand
I will finish my Bachelor's degree (International) this year and I have received an offer from a top ~15 (US News subject) place in my field for a PhD. While I know I want to work in that field and do a PhD, I don't know my exact area of interest. The university has a good number of good people working in the field so that gives the department some breadth. But I have not studied many of those areas before in detail, and what I have explored is not done there (except perhaps by a newly joined faculty). Is it advisable for me to join the program? Or stay back in my country for 2 years master's, hoping to get a better or more relevant place, and knowing my interests even better?
Secondly The overall ranking of the university is ~30 in US news. Would that affect later prospects in academia and does that qualify as a valid reason to wait for a master's degree?
Edit: I ended up declining the offer and joining an one-year master's program in the EU and developed my interests in the meantime. I have received more relevant offers in this cycle. (But the ranking was not a factor and I made the decision based on interests alone).

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Is there a limit to the number of rounds in a peer-review process?
I was reading about what makes reasonable grounds for rejecting a paper and came across the following statement:

... two major revisions are not allowed.

Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are allowed? Is this always the case? I do remember recommending major revision twice, and indeed the editor stopped the review process and decided to accept the paper without the authors having to revise their paper the second time.

Long answer short- It depends on the editorial policy of the specific journal or the current editor.
In my field, 4 or more rounds of revisions is not completely unheard of. Despite people's frustration with such policy of unlimited number of revisions (Imagine being that person who got a rejection after 4 major revisions and the manuscript being under review for 3 years? --- this is not uncommon in the social sciences), some journals do retain such policy. The top 2 journals in sociology are notorious for this.
I currently serve on an editorial board of a reputable journal in the field (one of the top 5), where the current editor has changed the journal policy to not extend second R&Rs. In this journal, you only get once chance to revise, and the result of the revise can either be an outright accept, conditional accept (which will come back with very minor change suggestions-- for example, cite an overlooked source, change the title of the paper, rewrite the conclusion, etc), or reject. I think this is a positive step forward, especially since many editors in the field tend to be very nitpicky about minor/aesthetic issues.

A collaborator of mine uses to say "A second major revision is worse than a reject. With a reject, you can at least submit somewhere else." I agree that the practice of keeping papers in an endless loop of major revisions is very damaging, and should be stopped. After one round of major revisions it should usually be pretty obvious to editor, reviewers and authors whether the paper will "get there" or not. Every round of major revision after that is just delaying timely publication.

Is this always the case? No.
However, I often see reviewing software that does not have the "major revision" category for the second revision. On the other hand, a colleague told me that he had a paper in the seventh revision at a very respectable journal (actually it was a debate about proof details in math…).

Q: Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are allowed?
A: No
As long as the authors keep failing to address the concerns of the reviewers, the paper can potentially end up on a long loop of repeated revisions that are required.
It is important to fully address the concerns of the reviewers.

Does it mean that only two rounds of review at the maximum are
  allowed?

In this particular case, it appears so.

Is this always the case?

No. Different journals will have different policies. For example, there's a journal in my field that has a reputation for indulging many rounds of review, and I've seen papers there go over two rounds - indeed, I just finished my third review for a paper.
However, as a general rule, two rounds of review both of which came back "Major Revisions" is likely a bad sign, as it means that there remain substantial problems with a paper even after substantial work should have been done. There's a number of reasons that might be true - the revisions introduced new errors, one of the reviewers or the authors are digging in their heels, etc. After two rounds of being nowhere near acceptable, it's possible the editor will start looking to cut their losses.

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


text:
Should I write that a student is a feminist in my recommendation letter?
I'm in the process of writing a recommendation letter for a female student to be admitted to some honors program within the university.
She is fantastic and I assume that she will get admitted with or without my help, so my question isn't necessarily specific to this particular letter, but I do remember feeling curious about this, so now's a good time to ask, I guess!
It's this one line in my letter that made me scratch my head a little bit. The line in question would like to say something like, "she is very interested in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field," which is a quality that I approve of heartily.
The problem is, I am not sure if everyone in academia feels the same way about this as I do. Perhaps there is that one grumpy old professor from the Old Boys' Club who absolutely hates "feminists" and maybe I am inadvertently hurting her chances.
Sure, I could word it carefully so that it doesn't set off the feminist trigger in most people, but I still have that nagging feeling of "what if" in my head.
Just to make sure that I am not misunderstood, I also support gender equality, and I do not want to discourage anyone from saying so, but recommendation letters are a delicate thing that need to appeal to everyone, and I do not want to hurt anyone's chances, most of all not of these fantastic women that I want to brag about to everyone.

Is her activity relevant for the position? Is political activism something that may advance her application? If not, leave it out.

@CaptainEmacs it sounds clear-cut at a first glance, but if you remember that most programs have generic sounding descriptions such as "we look for the leaders who can make a difference," it is less clear. Also, if you take that logic one step further, you don't NEED activism to succeed in any of STEM, which goes against all the effort to promote women in STEM. I really don't think it's as clear-cut as you suggest.

Being in STEM, I am emphatically agnostic about political activism. However, mentioning political activism can send a message ranging that the candidate demonstrates independence and initiative to that the candidate substitutes intellectual integrity with eristic sleight-of-word. Be aware of what hidden messages may lurk there and make sure you do not send a message you do not wish to convey. Also, if she is so brilliant, the one thing you do not want (as very well conveyed by @PeteLClark) is to send the message that she should get the position because of having the right political mindset.

If you do decide to include it, you may wish to avoid describing women as a minority....

This question is unanswerable unless you tell us the context: chemistry? finance? gender studies? liberal arts? hard sciences? Is it a private college? public college? etc. Even so, I think it's more objective to talk about achievements than opinions. Probably more neutral, too.

@smci Really? Private and public colleges have differing opinions on feminism? OP says that the student is in STEM, and I would think that this is enough information.

@SimonW Women aren't a minority of the overall population, but if you look at just STEM, women are definitely a minority. A more accurate and unambiguous term would be "underrepresented group".

@BMD: "colleges" don't collectively have opinions, so much as admissions committees and individual departments do, and yes they will vary. How those people react to the phrase "She is a feminist" (as an attempt to signal liberal social credentials) in a letter of recommendation, as opposed to a critique of work, achievements and personality, will vary too.

Depending on the nature of activities, talking about her work in "science outreach" or even generic "community service" is an option with less potential for political connotations. Focus on her leadership roles and passion to serve - the fact that it's for a "feminist" cause is (presumably) incidental to her application.

Should I write that a student voted for the same political party I voted for? Should I write that a student has similar ideological viewpoints I have? Should I write that a student follows the same religion I do? With all the above three strongly suggesting that if someone follows a different political/ideological/religious viewpoint than me, they must be a worse candidate? Your question did the same, with assuming feminist = good, not feminist = bad. You might be sure in this, but what if someone said similar things about ideological viewpoints you personally don't like?

Should I write a student is interested in the advancement of white males in his recommendation letter? It is sad this group is becoming an outlet of rampant sexism, I am going out of here.

@CaptainEmacs - "the one thing you do not want... she should get the position because of having the right political mindset" - you must not have been around Western Academia in the last several decades.

@DVK Oh, yes, I have been around. You left out the most important part of my statement, namely I said "[...] to send the message [...]". Even if you assume that the institution in question is politically driven, if they have a political agenda, it's their business. But it's not your business to assume how they do/could/should think. Anyway, if you know more about their model of hiring, of course, you would write it in. But if you don't, it is risky to do so.

@BMD Some colleges have such strong opinion that they pay female workers bonus to compensate for the gender pay gap.

@dbliss In the UK. Yes, they have these sentences and formulations, in fact, our institution is indeed particularly good at supporting disadvantaged people - but somehow they managed to imbue the culture with respect rather than make it a purely political declaration. I do not know how it is in the US, but an explicit declaration of political activism may raise eyebrows in Europe nowadays (yes, it used to be looked at as favourable up around mid-nineties, but this has abated).

Its worth considering whether I student is committed to advancing the interests of underrepresented groups in STEM is likely to have a good time of it with a supervisor who sees this as a negative. While it may put some people off, that might be doing them a favour if they are unlikely to be able to work together.

First of all, your title doesn't quite match the rest of your question.  In your suggested quote you write "she is very interested in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field," whereas according to the title you are asking whether you should write "She is a feminist."  Sadly, these things will not evoke equivalent responses in all parties -- the word "feminist" has unpleasant connotations in certain circles nowadays, more so than a generation ago.  (By the way, I am a feminist, and it makes me sick that the word is now taken in this way.  But it is by many, and so I think it is too loaded a word to use about someone else in such a context.)
The purpose of a recommendation letter is to successfully convey your impression of the recommended party.  In particular, if you feel strongly that the recommended party should get the position being applied for, then you want to write the letter that maximizes the chance of that happening (while staying appropriate, professional and truthful, of course).  With that in mind: how relevant "she is very interested in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field" to the honors program the student is applying to?  Is this advancement one of the activities that students in the program will be participating in?  Or, beyond interest, does the candidate have a record of activities and/or accomplishments in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field?  If the answer to either question is yes, I would suggest that you fill in further details accordingly: this is part of your argument that she is great fit for the program.  If not, then: are students selected for the honors program because of their progressive views -- or, much more cynically put, because of the alignment of their political and social views with those of the administrators of the program?  Probably not, right?  In particular, because "She is fantastic and I assume that she will get admitted," then I don't think you need to help her out in this particular way.  There is some risk that even a feminist could read "she is very interested in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field" as a bit of a consolation prize.  Again, write the strongest letter you can.

Yeah, thanks. It's definitely easy to forget that sometimes not writing something makes a stronger letter.

"Or, beyond interest, does the candidate have a record of activities and/or accomplishments in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field?" This. Just being "interested in" advancing WAOMs has no more value than being interested in basket weaving or synchronized swimming. The relevant issue is "what has she actually accomplished which enhanced your own working environment" - and of course if the answer is "nothing much", don't bother to mention it at all.

Key point buried in the middle and the crux of the issue: what she's interested in is her private business, which she can share if she thinks it's relevant.  If she's accomplished something in this area that is directly relevant, you can vouch for her success.  That's your appropriate role.

The second paragraph makes that point, but not explicitly: A letter needs to address the selection criteria that are used to evaluate the candidate (or your best understanding of these criteria). Whether or not to mention this strongly depends on where the letter goes. Apparently, if the letter is to the Fields Medal committee, supporting women is not something that will get you somewhere. If it is for the position of undergraduate teaching coordinator in a reasonable university, the issue may be different.

I agree here, emphasize the accomplishments and not the interest.  This also helps politically because even a lot of people who aren't feminists and don't care personally about under representation of women (not me, I'm a feminist), may still see actual accomplishments in this direction as a positive since the department may be facing outside pressure from the administration or funding bodies to do increase representation.

I have to admit, as the father of two young girls, I find myself researching more about the struggles they face (so I can properly prepare them) and am finding myself caring about such things more than ever, but I am afraid to apply the label feminist to my philosophy precisely because it can be considered radical to be one even if the ideas aren't so radical.

Answer to the question in the title:
"Yes" if and only if feminism is a matter of the person's research activity.
("No" if it's not.)
Reason: you wish to say that this person is an excellent scientist. Period. The person reading your letter doesn't even need to be informed of the candidate's gender, let alone whether they hold feminist viewpoints.
(EDIT: This answer assumes that the honor program is about science rather than anything else like social or organizational skills. Please consult other answers if this assumption does not hold.)

You can know someone is a feminist without knowing whether they are a woman.

@PatriciaShanahan While I agree (and indeed am a feminist and not a woman), I suspect that the letter will automatically be gendered by the mention of the applicant being a feminist even if it's otherwise blinded.

Disagree (with the "pure science" letter, not avoiding the term "feminism").  How can you write a recommendation letter without addressing character?

You realize that this is for some "Honors Program", and might even have ZERO to do with science?  Not all academia is science.  Promoting STEM may not even be related to the level of science that the student participates in.  It may have to do with student leadership -- which involves character.

@LeonMeier I don't know that I'd say that's really safe to assume. The "Honors Program" at my university (a predominately engineering school in the US) was far more focused on advancing liberal arts/humanities than science. It was run primarily by the English department.

@LeonMeier Agreed. I was just saying that it's not so safe to assume that "some honors program within the university" (OP's description) is related to science.

@LeonMeier "You should not be even sure whether that person is a man or a woman" What? You should definitely know something about the person to be able to write a rec letter, and you should definitely know whether this person is a man or a woman.

@PatriciaShanahan, if you're claiming its possible to be a feminist without being female, all I can say is that some would argue otherwise.

@BMD - The OP is referring to the reader of the letter, not the writer. I edited the text to clarify.

I would approach this with extreme caution, and honestly, I'd be quite hesitant to mention it in a LOR I was writing, despite finding your student's objectives laudable (and being quite comfortable being described as a feminist). There are a few reasons for this:

It calls out her gender. Very rarely do we write about the commitment of a male graduate student to the representation of women in STEM fields. As much as I hate to say it, even mentioning it will bring the gender of the applicant to the forefront, and there's pretty strong evidence that a female applicant is inherently disadvantaged.
There are two audiences who care about this: People who care about women in STEM, and people who will go "I don't want a feminist/political activist/etc. in my lab". The former will likely still be interested in your candidate - after all, if they care, they should be caring about her scientific accomplishments. The latter will likely hold those actions against her.
Along those same lines, it gives someone the opening to dismiss her as "What, she doesn't do good enough science for you to just write about that?"

Basically, I think mentioning it can only really hurt her, unless the position clearly calls for evidence of that kind of advocacy work, or you know it's a passion for whoever would be reading her letter (for example, if you're writing the recommendation not for a program, but to a specific PI).

Does mentioning gender in LORs for honors programs really make for a disadvantage? From what I've heard about STEM programs, being a woman gives you a significant advantage over other male applicants.

"and there's pretty strong evidence that a female applicant is inherently disadvantaged." Did you mean the other way around? Because companies are hiring incompetent women over competent men all over the place to fill up quotas.

@Davor http://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16474.full.pdf

@Fomite "Science faculty" isn't STEM companies. If your claim was specific to such a tiny area, perhaps you should qualify it?

@Davor "honors program within the university" isn't STEM companies. Not sure why you decided to head toward an irrelevant tangent. Though I'm sure peer-reviewed support for your beliefs is forthcoming?

@Davor given this site is academia about a STEM  student applying for a university program the reference is a perfect fit. If this was workplace.se or for a student applying for industry, then I am sure Formite would have chosen another peer reviewed piece of evidence, from the large set of mm possibikities, demonstrating gender bias.

To be clear: claiming "companies are hiring incompetent women over competent men all over the place to fill up quotas" is sexism, plain and simple. It contains, for example, the assumption that any woman hired is incompetent (and, for that matter, the equally false assumption that any male hired is competent).

The word "feminist" is "loaded," so I wouldn't use that word, if that's what you are asking in your title.
But if the issue is, "she is very interested in advancing women and other minorities in the STEM field," that's fine. That phrase gets the key idea across without provoking a gut level reaction (either positive or negative). After all, you want your student to be judged "neutrally" on her qualifications, without regard to whether the hiring professor is pro- or anti- "feminism."

Indeed. The word 'feminist' can mean a lot of things. Being more specific is a much better idea if you feel the need to include this information at all. I'd guess that few people in academia (in the West, at least) will take a negative view toward wanting to encourage women to enter into STEM fields and help them succeed there. Far more, however, may take a negative view toward many other positions that are usually described as 'feminist.'

You want to put some icing on the cake, and add something about the candidate's feminist activities, but are questioning whether doing so openly would strengthen her chances.
If her CV is openly proud of those activities, by, for example, listing a volunteer role in a feminist organization, then you can be similarly open.  If she has chosen not to bring these activities out clearly in her CV, you can still work them into your letter, but in a more subtle way, e.g.

As a grad student, Dr. Jones was extremely effective as a peer mentor in our department and as an outreach volunteer in the community.

Outreach can get you brownie points with, for example, the NSF, so this could be an effective selling point.
Also, if Dr. Jones took the initiative in some way, that would be another plus you could draw out of it, without being explicit.

I agree with this answer overall. However if the student mentions experience with a political organization, it may be appropriate to discuss this; but I believe the letter should still avoid discussion of the student's politics, because they are not what's relevant for the job. If you were writing a letter for Cecile Richards, what you should write is that she led a organization with $1.3 billion annual revenue -- not that she is really pro-choice!

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

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


text:
About Graduate schools requiring ALL transcripts before application
I finished my Bachelor's degree this summer and enrolled in a one-year master's program starting this September. I will be applying for math PhD programs in the USA this December. The problem is that the exams for the current master's will be in January; consequently, I will be getting my Transcripts earliest in late January. Note that this means I will not have any transcripts from my current institution by the time I apply. Is this a big issue? Is there any way around this? I saw on the webpage of one of the universities that they require transcripts from every program attended.
Kindly let me know as the application season is very close. (I am an international applicant and my bachelor's and master's institutions are in different countries).
Edit: To someone who lands here and is in a similar situation, I got a letter from the head of the department (signed, on an institute letterhead) stating the courses I am enrolled in (and with the "partial exam" grades). It sufficed for all the applications and I have also received some favorable outcomes, so don't worry!

No, this isn't a big issue.
You might mention it briefly in a cover letter if such a thing exists for this application (I would not waste space on it in a personal statement or other essay, though), just so a reader doesn't think it's missing.
In my experience with US institutions, it's common for transcripts to include current enrollment, and future as well (often US students will be enrolled for the Spring semester before typical application deadlines late in Fall) - this is the sort of document they are expecting. If you can produce any document that shows these enrolled classes, even if it's not called a "transcript" in your country, I would recommend providing that instead of the transcript.
Note that US institutions will almost certainly expect unofficial transcripts only for applications; they may ask for an official transcript if you're admitted and accept. You can deal with any complications at that step.

Thank you for your answer! However, my issue is that I will not even have an unofficial transcript from my current institution by the time I apply. That is what makes me worried.

@Mathaddict What I was trying to convey in this answer is to not worry about whether the thing you have is called an unofficial transcript or whatever. Do you not have some list of what courses you are enrolled in? It doesn't need to be something with a seal from your institution, if there is some place you can log in to a student account or something and see a list of what courses you are taking, that's effectively a transcript for the desired purposes here.

I know what courses I am enrolling in, but I do not have any official document stating the same. This is in France, so official enrollment would be later I believe. Should I ask the administration of the university to provide me with a certificate?

Why do you think you need something official or a certificate? I am saying that they likely expect unofficial transcripts, so an unofficial record of a different type that has the same information is probably just fine. Is there no electronic system at your institution that lists courses you are enrolled in?

Since it is a very niche program for my field, there is a webpage listing the details of all the courses. But I am afraid there is no electronic system where I can see what courses I am enrolled in.

@Mathaddict I would ask someone in administration at your institution whether that is actually the case (that there is no way to see your course enrollment). But, if indeed that is true, I'd simply provide a list of enrolled courses with a note that you've created this list because your institution does not have any way to provide a transcript or record of enrolled courses.

Thank you, it was really helpful. I will make sure to check if this is the case, before taking further action.

Just ask your current institution to send your academic records (transcript) to any place you are applying to. It isn't a problem. It isn't expected that you finish one program before you can even apply to another.
The transcript will likely only show your enrollment and the courses you are taking without grades. If needed, you can send updates in the future, but for now, just have the institution send what they have.

The applications require me to upload the transcripts. But from what you said, I believe that a certificate from my institution saying what courses I am enrolled to would suffice. Or am I wrong in interpreting your answer?

You are correct. At the moment that is all that is available. You might need to explain it, but it is a normal situation.


text:
JPG vs PNG vs SVG for plots in publication
I have generated some basic scatter and line plots that I want to embed in my paper. I am using matplotlib, which gives me flexibility over the format exported. I like the SVG approach for its convenient zooming behavior, but it comes with the problem of the resulting PDF size (all the data is actually in the file, even when the points are overlapping). I have a few questions:

Should I embed the plots as a vector or as a raster graphic? Why?
If going for the SVG way, is it justified to only present a sample of the data? If so, should I state in the paper that the data shown is just a sample?
If going for the raster approach, is JPG enough or should I use a lossless format?

Thank you!
Edit: as noted by @DCTLib, there also is a fourth option to generate the plot directly in LaTex - should I think of it? Is it standard?

This is a technical question, not one about academia.

This paper will be published?  If so, follow the guidelines of the journal.

JPEG is lossy. Don't use JPEG for graphs unless a compelling reason dictates. While one can crank up the quality setting enough to show the nice dots, there is no guarantee that the next parsing/rendering software won't decide the proper quality setting for you.

For graphs, PNG is normally better than JPG if a pixel image should be used. If the paper is written in LaTeX, there is also the possibility to export LaTeX code directly from Matplotlib.

Personally I export my figures as pdfs, and rasterise them only if they're really heavy. But there's no one correct way to do it.

The question is also what the journal will do with your file. If you include a vector image, will it still be one in the final publication? I doubt it. You also usually do not need to zoom into a figure in a paper unless it is badly designed. The resolution requirements of the journals are there for a reason and are more than sufficient usually.

When deciding whether to embed plots as a vector or raster graphic, there are a few factors to consider:

Vector graphics (e.g. SVG) are resolution-independent, meaning they
can be zoomed in without losing quality. Raster graphics (e.g. JPG,
PNG) have a fixed resolution and can become pixelated when zoomed
in.

Vector graphics can be smaller in file size than raster graphics,
especially for complex images with many data points or lines.

Raster graphics can be easier to manipulate and edit using image
editing software like Photoshop or GIMP.
Given these factors, if you need to present detailed plots that
require zooming in, vector graphics may be a better option. However,
if the plots are relatively simple and don't require zooming in,
raster graphics may be sufficient.

If you decide to go with the SVG approach, it may be acceptable to show a sample of the data if the complete data set is too large to display clearly. In this case, it's a good idea to state in the paper that the data shown is a sample, and to explain how the sample was selected.
Otherwise, if you decide to go with the raster approach, whether JPG is sufficient depends on the level of detail in your plots. If your plots have a lot of fine detail, a lossless format like PNG may be better to avoid compression artifacts. If your plots are relatively simple, JPG may be sufficient and have a smaller file size.

I find JPEG wholly unsuitable for almost any plot due to compression artifacts, regardless of the level of detail. JPEG was designed to work well for fairly noisy and smoothly varying images like photographs. It's not good at compressing high-contrast images that have geometric figures with clear boundaries, which any plot with an axis has. Even a simple scatter plot with few points will have noticeable artifact "smudges" in JPEG form. These are plots intended for human interpretation, they won't be so numerous as to make the file size savings of a JPEG very significant.

Thank you, cryptoShark007. That's a nice answer, but I can't help feeling it looks very ChatGPT-ish; you don't normally use Gimp or Photoshop to manipulate plots to embed in a publication. Also, your answer doesn't really answer my question - it only lists a couple of widely known facts about the image formats and leaves the decision to me


text:
About switching advisors
I am a third-year PhD student at a US institution. I have been thinking of changing my research group basically for two reasons: 1) my research interests have become quite different from the interests of people within the group and 2) members of the group are working online so there is no way I can meet anyone in person. I have seen that my friends are able to meet with their advisors regularly in person to discuss research while I haven't been able to do so.
I've talked with my advisor about this and he basically told me that one has to be flexible and work on things even if he is not interested in them. I talked with a few other professors and they are only interested in taking incoming students, not students switching from other groups. My question is whether my advisor's advice (to be flexible and work on research one might not be interested in) is a sound advice. Also, I got a feeling that trying to switch out from my research group suggests failure and this will make potential new advisors hesitant to take me. I think I can seek advice from the head of the department on how to proceed with the switch, but I do not want to be in a situation in which I can't find new advisor and the only option left is to leave the program. Any advice will be appreciated.

Have you completed necessary coursework and comprehensive exams?

Yes, I finished all coursework and exams.

Since you are pretty deep into the current path, I'd guess that your advisor is giving good advice. If you can finish, keeping the advisor as a supporter, then you can change your direction later. You aren't bound to a research direction for life.
But, if other professors aren't willing to take advanced students, your other option, to switch universities, will likely only delay your career and there is no guarantee that you will be happier in another situation. And you would probably have to redo comprehensives.
The standard advice here is "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Think long term here.

+1 for "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good". Sometimes we stress so much about taking the "best, right path" that we end up missing precious opportunities (and sometimes even empty-handed).


text:
How to convey your main idea in a research paper?
I am a PhD student in computer science (theory). I am currently writing a research paper. It is a short paper consisting of about 7-8 pages. I have written it two time and have taken few advice from research supervisor. I am struggling with the part where we give the overview of our approach.
Problems I am facing :

I can not write much in this part as it is just an overview.
I have to be consistent with the symbol's I used in the main part of research paper.
How much should I give in the overview section?
Should I try to avoid symbols, proofs etc. in the overview section?

Question: How to convey your main idea in a research paper?

One of the important and difficult skills to learn in technical presentation is how to tell the same story at multiple levels of detail, from a single sentence to a multi-hour tutorial or long-form journal paper.
Moreover, any well-organized presentation (written or spoken) should typically present at multiple levels of resolution. As one of my grad school mentors used to say: "Tell them what you're going to tell them, then tell it to them, then tell them what you told them."  This is not redundancy, but rather priming the reader to understand how the pieces fit together and summarizing to help them retain it.
In most good papers, I would thus expect to see the "main idea" presented either five or six times, at various levels of resolution:

As a few words in the title, naming the most important "keyword" ideas.
As a few sentences in the abstract, identifying a problem, giving an approach, and claiming evidence of progress.
As one or two paragraphs in the introduction, sketching the key ideas and how the rest of the paper is organized.
Optionally, as an overview section providing a sketch of the main sections and the grounding of the approach in prior work.
In full detail in the main sections.
In a few summarizing sentences in the final section, highlighting the most important things to remember from the main sections.

So how do you write at a "lower resolution"? I recommend thinking about the difference between what you are doing and how you are doing it. For example, the statement of a theorem is a "what" and the proof is a "how".  In a lower resolution, however, the "what" can become a how, presented consistently but less formally.  For example, that theorem may be one of several things that you prove as the "how" to get to the "what" of collectively proving a key result. One can then continue going to lower and lower resolutions. For example, all the work on proofs may be one "how" that combines with an implementation "how" and an experiment "how" to get to the "what" of demonstrating progress against the problem you are trying to address.
In short: remain consistent in your terminology, but drop as many levels of detail as you need to fit the space available for each telling of the main idea.

First part is good.  But you lost me after 'So how do you write...'.

I recommend thinking about the difference between what you are doing and how you are doing it — To put this in more familiar terms, since you’re a theoretical computer scientist: Think about the difference between specifying the problems you’re solving and describing the algorithms you’re using to solve them. Equivalently, organize your results in breadth-first order, not depth-first order.

Many great researchers share their tips of writing papers, here are my favorites:

How to write a great research paper by Simon Peyton Jones
Tips for Writing Technical Papers by  Jennifer Widom

All so read the papers that gets the awards, and papers of authors who are known to spend great effort on polishing their papers.
Back to your questions:

I can not write much in this part as it is just an overview.

It's difficult to say without knowing what kind of paper you are writing. In my field, even theoretical papers are often illustrated with a motivating example. This is a paper with a very good Overview section (best paper award in PLDI 2013).

I have to be consistent with the symbol's I used in the main part of research paper.

A trick that most Latex users know: don't use a symbol directly, e.g. \Sigma, instead define a new command, e.g. \newcommand{\mySymbol}{\Sigma}, and use \mySymbol everywhere to be consistent. It is also very easy if you decide later that you want to replace \Sigma with a different symbol.

How much should I give in the overview section?

Around 1 page for a papers with 7 - 8 pages.

Should I try to avoid symbols, proofs etc. in the overview section?

Yes, as much as you can. When this is not possible, explain them clearly and say something such as "formal definition will be provided in subsequent section", etc


text:
How to pick a research question broad or narrow one?
I am a PhD student of computer science ( senior year ). I have worked on problems given by my senior collegues in the past. Now I am at a stage where I have to pick a new research problem. I have tried to read as much as possible about particular topic, but still facing difficulty in picking a new problem. I have find out few research problem, but they seems to special cases. I am good with solving special case not a broad problem.
Question : Should I pick a research problem with broad or narrow one (special case )

Are you going into a PhD (i.e. in your "senior year" of an undergrad degree) or are you currently a PhD student? If the latter, it seems a bit late to be picking a research topic if you are in your "senior year" of a PhD.

Real broad/general problems are of course nice, because they apply to many situations. However, what students consider broad/general problems are often ill defined problems or problems that would require an unreasonable amount of time and resources to answer. So beware, that your broad problem is really a broad problem and a realistic problem.
After that is just a matter of finding the most interesting problem you can come up with, that is solvable with the time and resources you have available. (Remember to multiply your best estimate of the time it will take by two.)
That is very broad advise, but we cannot give you more detailed help on that as we don't know your skill level, the resources you have, the time you have available, and most of us are not an expert in your field. Your advisor on the other hand (should) know all that. So come up with a couple of problems, list the pros and cons, your estimate of the time and resources needed to complete these, and ask your advisor for his or her opinion.

A PhD is about specializing in many regards. Your dissertation should lead to a specialization.
I think you will also find it much easier to write about a narrow question as opposed to a broad one. Choosing too broad of a research question is actually one of the common reasons I see for PhD students languishing in the "candidacy" phase of the PhD. They can give a good overview in their prospectus/proposal, but then cannot pin down the specifics to a point where they actually can write a focused dissertation. Unless you are going to write a dissertation that is so revolutionary that it can encompass and change a broad discipline, I am of the opinion that a narrower research question is far more likely to lead to a successful dissertation.


text:
Tenure-track application - Number of recommendation letters
This question is mostly aimed at mathematicians, since I am currently in the job market for tenure-track positions in pure mathematics.
Usually most of the job adverts say "three letters of recommendation" or "four letters of recommendation, one of which should address teaching", or variants of that. My concerns are:
1) is it ok to submit more than the number requested? Let's say they ask for 3 research letters; is it ok to submit 4?
2) same question for teaching letters: usually only one is required for research positions. I have two available at my disposal, since I had two employers that wrote me one. Should I submit both, or just the one that I think will be more beneficial?
Thanks!

Related question here.

However it should be pointed out that the question John Ma links to is about postdoc applications, whereas this question is about tenure-track applications.

that's what I thought! But then, since I already have two letters (because I'll also apply to some teaching-oriented positions), I wasn't sure whether it made sense to submit both.

I would not worry about submitting additional letters to places that ask for fewer.
I submitted the same number of letters of recommendation (four, I think) to all the places I applied to, regardless of how many they officially asked for.  A small number of institutions turned out to have policies that meant that they could not consider more than the number of letters that they had officially asked for in their ad.  After receiving my application, they would typically contact me and ask which letter I wanted them to throw out.  Following my discussions with the staff at a couple such institutions, I decided they were probably not places that I would want to work anyway.  They were more fixated on some administrative notion of fairness than on getting the best person for the job.  Perhaps some of those institutions just tossed my application without even contacting me; again, that doesn't sound like a place I would want to end up.
On the other hand, most institutions were happy to have additional informative letters.  Having served on hiring committees myself, I know that extra letters can provide useful additional information about a candidate, although I make a point not to be biased against applicants who submit only the minimum number of reference letters.


text:
Sending pre-application e-mail to two professors who are close friends but at different universities
I am planning to apply to PhD courses at 2 different universities.
Professor A is at the first school, and professor B is at the second school.
I already communicated with the professor A. I am also thinking of writing a contact e-mail to professor B.
Professor A and Professor B are quite close (academically), as they are working on the upcoming project as co-authors.
Would it be inappropriate if I contact professor B to show my academic interest?
I'm just worried that they might find it unethical to talk about my interest to them simultaneously.

Would it be any different if they didn't already know each other? I'm not sure how their friendship has consequences for the ethical dimension of your question.

I've been in touch with two coauthors at different universities as well; they didn't mind at all that I emailed both of them. In fact, in my email to B I even said "I noticed you are collaborating with A on project X...". Don't over-think; just press send! :)

Not at all unethical - additionally, if you do end up joining either of them and work on the collaborative project, you could end up working with both of them anyways.

There is no issue here. You're not going to burning any bridges or make anyone upset if you talk to other professors. Your job right now is to find the best university that will take you. The professors at these universities understand that. If they don't, you don't want to work with them.
Personal story time: When I was applying to grad school, I ended up chatting with a husband and wife who were professors at different universities. They had different last names and didn't let on they were married so I didn't find out until another professor told me. I thought it was hilarious and they didn't care that their spouse was also trying to recruit me.

This is very common, particularly in the close-knit communities often found in science. To avoid awkwardness, be up front with both. In the best case scenario, they both bend over backwards to get you so that they 'win'. Use ego to your benefit and know that you're doing nothing wrong.


text:
Plan for generating external funding
I am preparing an application for a full-time lecturer position. They asked me for a teaching statement (done), a research statement (done) and a plan for generating funding for the next three years (trying now). I am a bit confused about this and I am not sure what they actually want with this funding plan. I could, of course, name all the different grant applications that I could potentially submit, but I am convinced that they are expecting more than that.
Any help?
Thanks!

country? field?

UK. The field is psychology.

What I would expect here is a (short) document where you describe how you plan to build up your lab in the next three years. Which personal grants to you plan to target? Do you have multiple options, or will you be all-in on one specific grant? Are there specific project calls or larger consortia where you could apply, and what makes you a good person to apply for them (i.e., this is a good place to brag about your network for participating in larger collaborations)? Are there other types of grants (for infrastructure, etc.) that are required or useful for the kind of work that you do? How will the different types of grants connect to form a larger research agenda?
All in all, I expect that the committee really wants to see (a) that  there are funding sources available that you can realistically apply to - ideally, these will be a combination of high-risk/high-reward calls (e.g., highly prestigious personal grants) and more conservative projects, and (b) that you are aware of the different funding sources and have a plan in mind how you will use them to build up  your group. Everybody understands that this is, at best, a declaration of intent - grants get rejected, new opportunities arise, and your research interests shift, so nobody will fault you if you, 3 years from now, have deviated greatly from this plan.


text:
Advisor wants me to break our group out into a different area
This is my first year in graduate school. I am studying computer science. Our group has 2 faculty advisors and ~8 students (faculty are married). The group is established in a niche part of the subdiscipline of computer science that I study.
My advisor really wants our group to break out into a second niche. I was chosen to lead the effort to do this. It wasn't clear why I was chosen, but I am older and have work experience and I am unique because I also recently finished my undergraduate and have a very strong background in mathematics. Our group are mostly 1st and 2nd years, there are 1 or 2 4th/5th year students.
I love the area they want to break into, it is interesting to me, but we have no one in our university that specializes in this area. My advisor wants me to figure out a solution to a problem and publish my ideas, but has not set any expectations beyond "you need to submit a paper."
Is this something other people have experienced? Is it normal for a first year graduate student to be asked to single handedly publish work that will establish a new area of research for a group? Are these standard expectations? In the industry usually there were step-by-step expectations that culminated in selling a product.
Road blocks I am facing:
1) Advisor doesn't set expectations beyond "submit a paper"
2) Advisors have all the other students working on different projects, people don't have time to help me.
3) Only 4 of the 8 speak fluent English (as well as both advisors).
4) I am also teaching ~40 students, 2 labs, work heavy engineering course
Is this just how graduate school is? Am I doing something wrong? Did I just land in a difficult group? I am so worried I am too stretched thin to accomplish anything. I want to communicate this to my advisor, but I am worried I will become a burden in my first year which will be a bad thing for me.

Where are you, by the way? The work load might be fairly normal in some places. But it sounds high for the US. If it is one course section with its associated labs the only "heavy" part, I think, is the number of students, I think, which sounds high.

I am in the US. But you are right 80 is high, this is because I mistyped. I have two sections each with 20 students which totals at ~40, not 80. I doubled the wrong thing... How embarrassing...

Fun story on the course I TA.... Somehow I accidentally checked a box on an online form that said I would be willing to TA for it before I started the program. I had never seen anything related to the material in my life, I told everyone this but they kept me as TA. Somehow I did a good job TA'ing it (maybe it was tangentially related to some practical work experience I have) so my advisor and the prof for the course encouraged me to do it again. It made sense to me because I already know how this course works now, so grading is easy. I guess it's neither here nor there, fun story though.

by "somehow I did a good job TAing it" I mean: I worked my ass off to learn the material before the students did.

That's high for the US (teaching).  And the behavior and relationship of the professors unusual also.  I figured you were in some cushy European area where the profs had decided they had made it and could rest.  I would really look around and make a move.  You have more to offer and you are in a country with a huge amount of options.  Ditch these losers yesterday.  All that said, the new area sounds OK, even interesting.  But better to do something less interesting with an advisor who is not a snake versus the opposite.

My current advisor is definitely not a snake or a loser... it seems like the communication between us isn’t working though and there are some oddities. I knew they were married before I accepted and it doesn’t seem that odd. Seems to be a good way for smaller universities to attract talent actually. However the point you make on the unusual teaching load I think I agree there. I think that’s the odd part, that I have such a teaching load while also being asked to do this.

I don't see it as very unusual. The advisor seems to want to have several projects going at once to maximize the chance of success on at least some of them. It is common, where I've been, for different students to work on different things.
But as you go along, you will need continuing guidance. Setting a simple expectation at the start (write a paper) is probably fine as long as it doesn't end there. And you will also need to depend on the ability of the advisor, and his general experience, to get you over any hard spots or know when it is time to move to a different problem if the chosen one turns out to be fruitless.
It actually sounds like he has some faith in you to carry on. That can turn out to be a great thing.
And, as you go, keep notes on other directions that your work suggests might be good to explore in the future. Having lots of "irons in the fire" is a good way to avoid getting stuck.

I was thinking about leaving this group and trying something different. But you say it can be a good thing to have some faith to carry on. What do you mean?
I felt somehow a little bit hurt because my advisor signed me up for research credits and then left the country for the winter, but never mentioned to me they were leaving. I felt like my work must just be too unimportant or low quality to bother keeping me up to date. This winter has been hard for me because both advisors are gone and I feel like I don't have direction. Is this when I should be carrying on?

That is a different issue, of course. You should have a conversation with  one of them. But it doesn't necessarily mean that you have been abandoned. It could mean that, of course, but it is impossible to say at a distance. What anyone in your situation needs, however, is regular communication with your advisor(s). You can get stuck otherwise.

Yeah, I am getting some bad vibes from them as well:  married conflict of interest, heavy teaching, exploiting you, poor English, vacation, etc.  You sound like "a catch" so I would look out for yourself and find something better.

I don't think it is that unusual to do a new area.  I would just watch out a little that you don't get exploited as some sort of subgroup leader versus spending time on your own research.
Going into a new area can be great.  Often easier to get more progress more easily at first.  I like his advice to just get started with something publishable also.
The teaching load sounds heavy.  I would try to minimize time spent on it.  It's unfortunate for the undergrads but not your fault (colleges choose to not pay good/dedicated teachers).  Do enough not to get yelled at but make it the minimum and be efficient.  Your path forward lies in publications.


text:
Should I offer to come to campus if given a phone interview?
I applied to a faculty position at a university (a small state school) near my hometown and I just received an email invitation for a Skype interview later this week. Coincidentally, I am visiting my parents' house this week, which is about a 20 minute drive from the institution offering the interview.
Would it be weird if I mentioned that I am nearby and/or offered to come in and meet some of the members of the department in person while I'm here?
I didn't mention anywhere in my application that I grew up nearby nor did I indicate that I have family here. I did all of my studies out-of-state and I'm currently living on the other side of the country. However, I am excited about the opportunity to move back "home"!

It is worth asking and is probably worth a visit even if they would rather stick to a Skype interview. They may prefer that so as to treat all candidates equally, but if that isn't necessary, they might prefer you to come in person.
It is a good way to get a feel of a place and to meet a few students and several faculty. I don't see any downside in asking.
"I'm actually quite close and could easily arrange a face to face visit. Would that be preferable?"

Do not offer to come by as it might be interpreted as a request for special or biased treatment.  You can mention that you are nearby.  It is highly likely that all candidates will be interviewed using the same technology, even if they work on campus, because it is considered fairer.


text:
Email to a potential master’s supervisor, initially responded but no reply after I sent my transcript
I emailed a professor asking him to be my master's supervisor. He replied saying he is willing to meet me and asked me to send him my transcript. I have sent it and he has not replied yet after a week (he replied to my initial email a day after). I don’t have great grades so does this mean that he's not interested anymore?

Not necessarily, he could just be busy...

Any answer to this question would at best be a guess.
It doesn't necessarily mean that he's not interested in it anymore. Perhaps the professor is just busy. Maybe he read your email, thought he'd get back to it later and then forgot about it as more emails piled on top of it.
It's been a week since your last email. If I were you, I'd email him about this. That's the only way to know. Bite the bullet and send that e-mail now or a couple of days later asking if he is okay with your transcripts and if you could meet him as discussed. The worst that could happen is that he'll reject you. He won't be angered if you send him an email asking for clarification.

Academics tend to be busy people.  The pathway from submission to publication of a journal paper, for example, can typically take 3-6 months.  I recently chased for a status update for such a paper after waiting 12 weeks without word.
Given it's been only a week, perhaps wait another 2-3 weeks before approaching the professor again, and be sure to be polite.


text:
Looking for a PhD but I don't know how to find an advisor and my chances of success
To begin with, I must point out two things: first, to read this post faster, you can skip directly to the questions and the paragraph before them; second, although I mention a specific field of mathematics, I think the question is quite general and applicable to any field.
I am currently a master's student in mathematical logic. A year and a half ago I finished my studies in physics and the following year I studied a master's degree in mathematical research (the courses were on pure maths like algebraic geometry, functional analysis, differential geometry...). But for a few years my interest has been in mathematical logic, that's why I enrolled in this master's degree in logic.
During this course I have reached two conclusions: I have found the specific area of logic that interests me (model theory) and I have realized that I am close to a burnout. have learned a lot, but the pressure from the exams and the heavy workload in areas that do not interest me or that have not been very well taught (I allow myself to make this complaint because I do not consider that it is the fault of the teachers, but of a very improvable study plan) have made me rethink my plans. In particular, my intention is to try to jump right into a PhD, since I like to study a lot, but I need more freedom to work.
During my previous bachelor's degree (on physics) and in my previous master (on pure math) I got good results (grades of ~9/10 average) and my intention is to finish only a few subjects of my current master (on logic). However, I don't know if that will be enough to get me into a PhD. I have asked for advice from one of my professors, who is a well-known expert in a field not too distant from the one that interests me (model theory) and he has told me that without any problem I can ask some suitable experts in this area if they would be willing directing my PhD, but I don't know if I really have a chance of getting a positive response and I'm not sure if it's a good idea without knowing the chances of success I have.
All in all, my doubts are:

With my background (which I mentioned at the beginning of the previous paragraph), can it be very difficult to get a PhD and funding (even if it's little) at a decent university in Europe? I would like a PhD in the European Union and as close as possible to Spain (which is where I have studied).
Second, if the above is difficult, is it preferable to do the PhD in a nearby area that interests me but with more professors and, after the PhD, try to get closer to the area that currently interests me more?
Finally, if I spend a year studying on my own and trying to get small results that could be the start of a PhD, would that benefit me when looking for a advisor or is it bad for my CV to spend a year without increasing it?

Thanks in advance!!

What country are you hoping to study in?

@Buffy, that is a good question, so I will add that information to the post. I would like a PhD in the European Union, as close to Spain as possible.

I don't understand what your first two doubts have to do with the advice that you received. I mean, yes, conceivably you might not be successful in securing a PhD position in your intended field -- but how is that a reason not to reach out to potential supervisors in that field?

@AdamPřenosil, thanks, I have clarified that aspect in the post.

Your chance of getting a positive response if you reach out to a professor is X%, where X>0. Your chance of getting a positive response if you don't is 0%. The math seems pretty clear to me... there is literally no downside to trying. Unless what's holding you back is a fear of rejection, I am still having a hard time understanding what the dilemma is here. A question that would make sense is, should I contact potential supervisors in my preferred field now or should I wait until I'm about to finish my current Master's? But that doesn't seem to be what you are asking. Or is it?

@AdamPřenosil, It's not exactly fear of being rejected, it's that my impression is that I have X ~ 0.1% chance of success. However, maybe it's "easier" than I think to get a PhD in those fileds of math and my X may be higher than I think... If I'm right and my chances are slim, it would be good to know before I get rejected.

I see. In that case your worry makes sense to me now, but for sure your chances are much higher than that. On the contrary, with a successful Master's in Math and a second Master's in Logic on the way, aiming to secure a PhD position doing model theory at a decent European university sounds like a perfectly reasonable goal to me and not at all like a pipe dream. It may indeed be that you are overestimating what is expected of a PhD applicant, since nothing in what you wrote makes me worried about your chances. Good luck!

@AdamPřenosil, thank you very much!!

Don't do a PhD in a topic you are not 100% interested in and committed to just because you think your chances of admission will be higher.

Thank you @astronat. That sounds very reasonable.

This is the right approach to getting into a PhD program. You search for a good advisor. The department, reputation of the university,etc. should be secondary considerations.
The best source is your current network. We are all looking for good students and we all love helping match good students with good advisors. If you already have a good reputation, eg you are not crazy, not a serial complainer, can produce consistent quality research, you meet deadlines, etc., people will be happy to make introductions for you. You then write an email to the prospective advisor and in the first line write "I'm a prospective grad student and Dr. X recommended I speak with you." followed by a short description of your academic interests, and a polite inquiry into if they are looking for new grad students. The response rate will be 90%.
It should go without saying that you should read about each prospective advisor before you write to them, to make sure you are interested in their subject.
After they reply, add more details about your interests. The message should convey "I'm a good student, I'm trying to figure out if we are a good match". Most prospective PhD students instead write something along the lines of "I really want a PhD at University X, can you help me get admitted?", and this is why they never get a reply.
The best sources for introductions are former colleagues who are now graduate students, your former professors, and people you met at conferences. If everything else fails, you can write a cold (uninvited) email.
Oh, and always keep email short and to the point.
Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback!! I will certainly keep them in mind.


text:
Olaf K. Storaasli Master's/Doctor's Theses, Princeton/Temple University (Schools of Theology)
How can I find a copy of my Dad's Seminary Master's/Doctor's Theses at Princeton/Temple Universities in 1942/1944. His name: Olaf K. Storaasli

I’d start with contacting the librarians at the respective institutions. Note that the Princeton Seminary is independent of Princeton University.

Jon Custer: This seems to be the answer to me.

Related, possible duplicate: How to Access an American PhD Thesis? Or even: How can I find an old, obscure, or otherwise inaccessible paper when the usual methods fail?

Question is not interesting for the broad audience. You can reformulate it in a way that will receive answer that may be useful for other people apart from your specific case.

Google Scholar indicates there is a Storaasli, Olaf Kenneth. The Idea of" Soteria" in the Synoptic Gospels. Diss. Princeton Theological Seminary, 1942. And here's the record in the catalog of Wright Library at Princeton Theological Seminary. The location given for their copy is "Second Floor - Special Collections" and the status is "Use in Library". If you are unable to visit the library, you can try contacting the librarians and ask if it would be possible to acquire a scanned version.
I do not find a mention of the dissertation at Temple University on their library website. However, using the ProQuest dissertation database I find a record (ProQuest ID 301831003) of the dissertation (but not the full text) listed under the title "THE GOSPEL AS EXPRESSED IN THE CHORALE" and the year 1945. Like Jon Custer suggests in a comment, contacting librarians at Temple seems like the best lead.


text:
Attendance to a workshop
I just finished my master's degree in a university, and I got accepted at a university for a PhD about a certain topic, starting from September (meaning I am "officially" not a student of any of the two until then)
My future supervisor brought to my attention a workshop that is taking place in the last week of July and the first week of August that is exactly about my research topic. Moreover, most of the "big names" in that area are going to be there. He actually told me that if I am able to go there, it would be
The problem is that the workshop is in a rather expensive country, and it lasts two weeks. I did the math (lol) and between travel and accomodation it would cost me about a month's stipend.
Now, as I am sure you all know, the economic situation of a Ph.D student isn't exactly marvellous, so I am rather hesitant to spend this amount of money on any thing.
I have, therefore, two questions for you:
a) Would it be appropriate to ask one (or both) the universities for any amount of funding they may get me?
b) Is there any external way, like some small scholarship, some organization or I don't know (wanting to go to an unfunded conference should happen quite often), that may help me with the expenses?
c) Would it make sense to spend my money on this and start my PhD life abroad with basically no savings?
One last thing: if it helps, I am an EU citizen, and all this is taking place in EU.
Ps: to answer the most common questions: the registration period is over (but I may get in anyway if my supervisor sends an email), and there was no planned funding in the first place (so no chance of getting any later)

I don't know how funding works in the EU, but at my university, if the supervisor says you should go to a workshop, there's usually an expectation that they'll pay for it (especially if you're presenting). That being said - have you checked with the workshop to see if they have students scholarships available? Alternatively - you could email the dean's office and ask if they have a list of funding opportunities.

Usually it's like this in the EU, but in this case the "problem" is that I'm not a student of the university until september (for instance, I will sign the contract on august). By the way I am of course not presenting, since my research hasn't even started! Do you think it would be appropriate emailing the dean's office in my situation?

He told me he would look into that, but that it would probably be a good idea for me to start looking on my own