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For faculty positions: Cover letter vs. a letter of application
In the announcement of a tenure-track faculty opening in computer science in USA, I see a request for

a letter of application explaining your interest in ⟨university⟩ and in this position

Other documents (CV, research & teaching statements, scholarly work, references) are also requested, cover letter not being among them. The application goes to a small, mostly liberal-art university.
How many pages are typically expected for the letter of application? Is a cover letter expected in addition?
I have read What are the differences between a cover letter and an application letter?, which, however, speaks about a PhD position. I have also read the links provided there, but, they are targeted more towards the non-academic job market.

Out of curiosity, is this a smaller school or a liberal arts school? In my experience, those types of schools tend to ask for customization of the cover letter to weed out applicants who they believe are "spamming" many schools the applicant has no real interest in...

Cover letter = letter of application.  It typically goes: "Hi, this is who I am, this is where I got my PhD, I have published here.  Let me tell you a little about my research.  Let me tell you a little about my teaching.  I want to join your faculty because of this reason.  kthxbai"
It should be two pages, single spaced, maximum.  Use letterhead if you've got it, but keep in mind that letterhead is only used for the first page; the second page, if you have a second page, is on regular paper.

Yes, still add what was mentioned. Just make sure it is custom to them if possible. If it is mostly a teaching position put that first. If you are not sure what to do, read The Professor is In. Great cover letter advice.

Agree with Dawn.

There is effectively no difference between a customized cover letter and a letter of application. The job ad wants you to submit a cover letter that is customized to their university. They are asking you to avoid a generic cover letter. Make sure that, in addition to talking about your research and teaching in general, you speak to the specific reasons you think you would be a good fit for their institution.
Note: Although I have not served on a hiring committee, I did complete the academic job market last year.

Same as a cover letter in your field. All of my cover letters/letters of application were 2 pages.

@Dawn Thx. What was your field for your applications?

Economics and public policy


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Is having a good yearly GPA (over 3.0) for 2 years useful for Masters even if my overall GPA is low (under 3.0)
I am going to graduate in 6 years from a 4 year major (Applied Mathematics) due to health reasons (diabetes, depression etc.)
I passed 70 credits so far, with 79 more to go. Average of my 70 credits is 2.45 (22 CC/2.0 and 16 DC/1.5 due to low performance) and to achieve something over 3.0, rest should be 3.5 on average and maximum GPA I can reach is 3.25 if all 79 credits are 4.0 on average.
Not impossible now that I am all better and more organized, it just stress me out to think it is all over if I don't do perfect, and I really want to do Masters especially abroad (I am in Turkey)
I am in a good school, have a good relation with teachers and do well when I apply myself to classes.
Problem is all I hear is "3.0 or nothing" for Masters in a good place.
If it is essential I can try to increase my GPA even more by taking classes next years first semester (I will likely pass all first semester classes this year but second semester will be left) for classes I passed with lower grades (1.5-2.0)

Related, possibly a duplicate of: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/34767/is-it-possible-to-get-into-a-good-masters-program-in-computer-science-with-a-3-3 , https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/59332/are-masters-programs-generally-easier-to-get-into-than-phd?rq=1 , https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/29003/trauma-affected-my-grades-while-in-undergrad-how-will-it-affect-me-getting-into

@tonysdg 2 of those questions are asked by people with over 3.0, which is not my case, but I will checkout the third one, thanks.

I cannot image how this question can be answered. You want someone to guarantee your acceptance with GPA under 3.0? That is absurd. You want someone to guarantee your rejection from every possible school due to GPA under 3.0? That is even more absurd. Acceptance in the math/science schools across the globe is not a sigmoid function from gpa.

@WestEast that is the point, I keep hearing overall GPA of 3.0 is mandatory to apply for Masters, I am asking to see if there is anything else I can do and if an increase in performance is also a factor despite overall GPA being low.

An international student with a sub-3.0 GPA stands essentially no chance of getting admission to a "good" graduate school abroad. There are just too many candidates with stronger applications. Doing better int he later years might help a bit, but you're going to need a lot of help to get in. Perhaps one of your faculty members can help you?

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Letterhead in application letters for tenure-track in computer science in USA?
I'm a postdoc in computer science preparing an application for a tenure-track full-time faculty position in a US university. The opinions on whether to use a letterhead or not vary: Postdoc using current university's letterhead for job application cover letter (academic/national lab jobs)?, Should I use my university's letterhead for a cover letter for a job application?, Letterhead ethics, The Professor Is In: Why Letterhead Matters.
Which choice is prevalent or advisable for the position in question: with or without letterhead?

Given the huge number of applications to faculty positions, hiring committees need a random way of eliminating half the applications, since reading applications takes much time and the best application in 250 will be almost as good as the best in 500.  At the same time, university rules generally prohibit explicitly using random factors.  Hence, hiring committees either discard all applications on letterhead or discard all applications not on letterhead without letting applicants know which.  Hiring committees desiring to quarter their applications also sort based on staples vs. paperclips.

Good luck with your applications. It is understandable that you wish to maximize your chances and are therefore trying to optimize every little thing about your application, but you would be well advised to spend your time where it actually matters (hint: the letterhead is not it, neither is the cover letter).

hiring committees need a random way of eliminating half the applications — [citation needed]  This doesn't fit my experience on hiring committees at all.

@Axel it certainly often feels random to the unsuccessful candidates.  FYI: the unwritten rule where I work is that submissions without affiliations immediately draw less attention than those with clear affiliation.

@JeffE I thought the paperclips and staples would make it clear.  Though I admit maybe I was a little cruel to stressed-out job applicants.

You should check whether your university allows you to use their letterhead: I seem to remember that only faculty are supposed to use it at at least one university I've worked at. In any case, for a job application, you're not in any sense writing on behalf of your university, so using their letterhead seems inappropriate, to me.

I've served for 15 years on my (top-5 US computer science) department's faculty recruiting committee, including three as committee chair.
At least in my department, whether your cover letter uses letterhead  Does. Not. Matter. Really.  The hiring committee is looking at the information in your application; formatting is at best a secondary concern.  Most committee members will never even read your cover letter, because all the relevant information is repeated elsewhere: In your CV, your research and teaching statements, your web page, your DBLP profile, your Google Scholar profile, and especially your recommendation letters.  I did read cover letters as committee chair, but only because that made it slightly easier to classify applications into our target research areas.
As a sanity check, I just went through a random sample of the candidates that my committee rated highly in last year's faculty search.  About half of their cover letters were on institutional letterhead.

I evaluate resumes / cover letters for permanent research positions outside of universities, so perhaps a little different than the target audience, but maybe there is  some overlap.
Regarding letterhead, here are my thoughts:

The letterhead or lack thereof is far less important than whether the letter is well written. 50% of the letters I receive (and these are just the ones that are good enough to reach my desk!) contain many obvious mistakes and/or seem to be written by someone with rather poor English skills. Another 25% might not contain outright mistakes, but are noticeably poorly written (organization, paragraph structure, etc.). It amazes me that people are willing to submit such poor materials while asking for a job. So, 75% of the time, the letter actually hurts the candidate!
When I see university letterhead, I always check the resume to see the person's position before reading the letter. In my experience, many letterhead-users are instructors or administrators rather than researchers (which is not a disqualification, but I like to know). I'll also check the university -- if I've heard of the university, the letterhead might make my ears perk up; if not, I'll reserve judgment until I finish my evaluation.
If the letter is well-written, the person has a research background, and the letterhead is from a well-established university, then the use of letterhead is a net positive. This shows me that the person took the time to add that nice touch, and produced a very nice-looking document in addition to their technical qualifications.
If the letter is poorly written or the person doesn't seem to have a strong technical background, then the use of letterhead is a (tiny) net negative. This gives me the impression that the person does poor work but tries to dress it up nicely. If you are in this boat, you would be better off adding a lot of technical detail (with or without a letterhead).

So in summary: if you are otherwise a strong applicant, adding the letterhead is a nice touch; if you are a otherwise a weak applicant, adding the letterhead won't save you and might even hurt.

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Pointing out language mistakes in a review
In one of the reviews I received from a journal on a paper I sent there, there was a complaint that the paper contained a lot of language mistakes, so serious, that they change meaning of phrases. But no examples of such mistakes were provided.
I am not claiming that language in the paper was perfect, though the paper had been reviewed before submission by four different people (PhD's) with a good level of English and also by a native English speaker (not a scientist though).
I am confused about this quite strong statement about the paper's language despite the reviewer having perfectly understood almost all the ideas in the paper.
Just wondering: is it really typical for reviewers to point out language mistakes in reviews in this way?
a
(P.S. Just in case, I am very grateful to the reviewer for his or her very valuable suggestions on other formal mistakes and for giving me some new ideas).

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

I think the original text of this question is relevant to understanding the answers.

Looks like this my question appeared to be a trigger for starting an explicit persecution of myself: everybody wants to proof that my knowledge of English is miserable. That all is disgusting. I wish never appear in this web-site again. Just remember: some day not English, but some other language could become dominating in scientific publications.

Both in your manuscript and here, your response to comments about your English skills have been to attack the commenters and ignore the substance.  This approach is not going to end well for you.

@iayork How do you know what was in my manuscripts? And what do you mean by "is not going to end well"? Do you know my future? Do you know what am I doing? This is an another attack on me.

The scientific society becomes a privileged community of very prideful people who considers perfect knowledge of one particular language as the main value. Rudeness and aggression became the main instruments of attacks on people who is not from their party. This approach is not going to end well.

We're trying to help you, and you're taking it as an attack.  That's the approach that's not going to end well for you.

If a reviewer has problems to follow the arguments and feels that this is due to the use of English, they usually include this in the review. Unfortunately, it is sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly what is unclear about the language, but a good reviewer should make some effort to help the authors. On the other hand, if the overall recommendation will be "reject" many reviewers do not invest the time to write down all unclear/wrong/misleading formulations. Note that a good reviewer may still follow your arguments although the language may be quite misleading (by just knowing what you are trying to show and correcting the wording while reading).
So you may ask for clarification (and I find this a reasonable request), but you should not expect to get an answer if the paper has been rejected anyway.

" Note that a good reviewer may still follow your arguments although the language may be quite misleading..." - fair enough. But providing just one or two examples of such "severe language mistakes" - isn't it mandatory because otherwise this statement about mistakes looks quite unreasonable.

Agreed that this would reasonable, but sometime this just does not happen (unfortunately). And there is nothing "mandatory" here as the editor should form their opinion based on the reviews. They may just follow the other criticism of the reports without relying on the language argument.

I would usually provide several examples 3-4 on the first pg and then say fix these types of errors elsewhere. There is always a happy medium.

A paper written in English in a reputable journal should be written in correct English.  It is the responsibility of the author to make sure of that.  Not the referee, not the editor.
See a related question here: Is poor English grammar and writing style overlooked in otherwise strong math paper submissions?

The OP took what should have been effective precautions against English mistakes in the paper: review by four different people (PhD's) with a good level of English and also by a non-scientist native English speaker. Those, rather than journal reviewers, are the people who should be pointing out specific problems and improvements.
Given the original version of the question, I would expect the OP's English writing to need some editing before being submitted as a finished paper. It is possible the people the OP asked to review the paper were being too polite and felt inhibited from pointing out changes that should have been made before the article was submitted.
The OP needs to find ways to positively encourage them to suggest edits. If one of them makes a suggestion, thank them graciously and use it, so that they will know their suggestions really are welcome.
It might be good to have at least one co-author with good English writing skills, with a track record of publications in English, and ask that person to do a grammar and style edit before submission.


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Difference between a "general" and a "generic" confidential letter of recommendation?
In the context of applications to tenure-track assistant professorship positions in computer science in the US, I see both terms:

general confidential letter of recommendation
generic confidential letter of recommendation

What is the difference in the meaning of the terms?

They look like synonyms to me.

In math, I don't think I've see the term "general letter."  (Also confidential is assumed, so I rarely see that explicated as well.)

There is no difference.  They both refer to a letter that discusses the applicant's achievements and qualifications for a general type of job (postdoc, assistant professor, etc) without being tailored to the expectations of a particular employer.


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Is it possible to get accepted in a PhD program without reference/recommendation letters?
Is it possible to get accepted into a Ph.D. program without reference/recommendation letters?
How likely is it ?
If it is very unlikely, is there any way to get around this unlikeliness?

Possible, yes.  But unlikely.

@GEdgar, how unlikely?

Very, very unlikely.

which country?~

For all practical purposes: NO.

Sure you can - in countries which do not use recommendation letters in the first place.

I just wonder how many people you need to disappoint or to quarrel with to not be able to request a single recommendation letter. Of course, there are exceptional situations, but normally any professor who taught you a course in which you performed reasonably well would agree to write a few words. Those may be not the best possible recommendation letters, but if your transcript is generally good and you are not aiming at Harvard or Princeton, they'll satisfy the formal requirements.

Most admissions committees I know people on will not consider incomplete applications.
If there is an application deadline that applies for an entire incoming class, and letters aren't received, then it's probable that the application will be rejected.
If there is no admissions deadline and If the rest of the application looks good, though, they may contact the applicant to remind them to send in letters so that the application can be considered.
The reason for asking for the letters is a form of quality control: admissions committees want candidates who will become productive researchers. Getting letters of recommendation that can testify to their promise as researchers is an integral part of the admissions process.


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Dealing with add/drop class numbers
I'm teaching a new course at a top 50 university where they have an add/drop class policy during the first weeks. This course was previously taught by a different professor whom I don't know, but he generally received favorable reviews.
To my surprise, out of the initial batch (<50), 25% never showed up and another 12.5% ended up dropping the class. I pour my heart and soul into making the class as well as I can (even if it's the first time I teach it), but am very worried about this number.

Does such a dropout rate generally mean that I am indeed failing the students in some way or is this something that happens quite frequently? How do you deal with this?

I think you should discuss this with a senior colleague or mentor at your own university.  This kind of thing can vary widely between institutions / departments / courses depending on local policy and culture.  "Generic" advice is probably not going to be so useful.

What is an add/drop class policy?

@TommiBrander In the US, within the first few weeks of a semester or quarter, students can add (enroll) or drop (unenroll) individual classes. There are no grade ramifications (you have to catch up yourself) although changing the total number of classes or credit hours can affect tuition, other fees, and financial aid.

@mkennedy Maybe you can edit that into the question, unless the querent does so themselves.

Is this an intro-level course or a higher level one?

Let's start with the bottom line.

How do you deal with this?

This is your first semester teaching the course. Forget analyzing attendance statistics - you should spend your time differently:

Put effort into preparing your classes (actually that's kind of a must)
If you haven't already, do some reading and/or watch videos on presentation skills
Get feedback from other teachers / teaching assistants - even asking one or two of them to sit in on a class, take notes and give you pointers
A bit tricky, but - think of a way to get feedback from students - without turning your class into a discussion panel about the class itself. For example, if there is a web forum or Facebook page where students discuss the class, read some of it (and absolutely do not post anything).

To my surprise, out of the initial batch (<50), 25% never showed up and another 12.5% ended up dropping the class.

Why are you surprised? If people can relatively freely drop registered classes, they might over-register to begin with and only make the decision what to go to on the first day, or later. They don't know / don't care that "over-subscription" to classes bothers anybody.

I pour my heart and soul into making the class as well as I can (even if it's the first time I teach it), but am very worried about this number.

Those two things are actually quite orthogonal. Certainly the people who never showed up in the first place have not made any judgment regarding the quality of your classes. And as for the 12.5% - you can't know whether they disliked you as a teacher, or decided the course is not right for them, or any other reason.

Does such a dropout rate generally mean that I am indeed failing the students in some way or is this something that happens quite frequently?

Given only the information you've provided - you're not failing the students in any way.


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Sudden change in the area of research
I am a third-year Ph.D student of computer science and engineering (I joined a direct PhD program after my bachelor’s in computer science). I am working on theoretical computer science.
In the first two years, I did the course work plus some survey of the field called theoretical computer science. To get anything published in XYZ is more challenging (as well as requires more time) than the abc. I am more interested in the ABC than the XYZ. It is not that I am not interested in ABC side, I am very much. In the first two years I have explored XYZ side. I also did three to four courses related to ABC techniques.
Now my supervisor is saying that I should “be open to both XYZ techniques as well as ABC techniques”. I am confused what to do. Is it normal? I have not started my thesis yet.

I think your advisor knows more about this that we do.  Follow his advice.  If you have questions on this, discuss it with him.

Speaking as a combinatorist, you'll be better off being open to both subfields from a knowledge point of view.
Remember: what you choose to write your thesis on does not determine what you'll study for the rest of your life. Especially when we are talking about two subfields so closely related.
If you want to be at a university the state of the fields now matters pretty little, comparatively to the date of the fields in 10-15 years. If you want to enter industry, it's unlikely that the subject of your dissertation matters much at all (field, sure. But subsubdiscipline? Not at all).
Listen to your advisor.

Thanks for your answer. You are saying subsubdiscipline does not matter, but from research perspective to me it still appears that subsubdiscipline is also very much important or are you trying to say that we can change subsubdiscipline after doing Ph.D any time.

I said it doesn't matter what you write your thesis on if you go into industry, not that it doesn't matter at all.

But yes you have ample opportunity to change your subsubdiscipline in an academic career. Writing a thesis on one subject doesn't lock you into that topic for life.

It's really important in research to be open to whatever techniques will be useful in the problems you're working on.  Of course that doesn't mean you can or should be an expert in everything, but you should be aware of at least the fundamentals of topics closely related to what you're working on.  Maybe some aspect of the problem will be much easier from a different point of view, and you won't have to be an expert in that field just familiar with it.  Or even just knowing what kinds of problems experts in that field can solve can lead to knowing when to collaborate.
My feeling from reading your question is that you've misunderstood your advisor.  It sounds like you think you need to suddenly drop all the stuff you've learned and instead become an expert in a different area.  I doubt that's what your advisor is saying.  Your advisor said "be open to both techniques" not change your main area of expertise.


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What is the best practice to mention "conference presentations" in CV
I'm going to apply to a graduate program which asks me to declare my conference presentations in my CV.
I have 9 proceeding papers, 8 of which are presented by myself, and I have another section in my CV, called "publications", in which the papers are meticulously cited.
Now, I am thinking of the best approach to mentioning my presentations, which can be some references to the publications section of the CV without rewriting complete information of each paper (such as its title, venue, etc.) as the following:
Publications:
9 - Me, et al., "the title 9", venue, pp., 20XX,
8 - Me, et al., "the title 8", venue, pp., 20XX,
.
.
.
1 - Me, et al., "the title 1", venue, pp., 20XX,
Presentations:
Sept. 20XX - Presenter of the 9th Proceeding Paper, venue 9,
Sept. 20XX - Presenter of the 7th Proceeding Paper, venue 7,
.
.
.
Sept. 20XX - Presenter of the 1st Proceeding Paper, venue 1,

I'm wondering whether this kind of referring is the etiquette and is kinda professional or I better rewrite information of all papers again.

Have you considered looking at what people who are attending the program do on their CVs?

My experience is that paper presentations are not reported separately on a CV. More distinguished presentations, like invited talks or keynotes, would be listed under a section called something like "Invited Talks"

@Dawn: Unfortunately, I couldn't find any sort of related CVs.

@David: As I explicitly stated: I've been asked to do so.

What field is this (I guess CS?)? Do you have any publications that are not proceeding papers or any presentations without a proceeding paper?

@DSVA The field is almost similar to CS, it's EE, and I have 4 Journal papers, too.

@DSVA and I don't have any presentations without a proceeding paper.

I would try to avoid having the same information twice or referring to another section in your CV, that makes it complicated to read.
What I would do, but this is of course something subjective, is having one section for "journal papers", one for "conference papers", depending on your field they might be worth as much as journal papers, if that's the case then just one section, for example "peer reviewed articles". And one for "oral contributions including conference papers". I guess there's a better name for that but I would put the presentation and the paper into one entry:

How to write a CV
DSVA, Some else, another person
presented at some conference, 01.01.1971, the internet
published in: Me, et al., "the title 1", venue, pp., 20XX,

If the authors are the same I would leave out the second line.
The alternative would be just adding the information about the talk to the paper section by adding:

Presented by DSVA in an oral communication at some conference, date

Since the conference paper and the presentation seem to be very tied together this would make a lot of sense.

Thanks. I think "the alternative" is so compact and effective.


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Sharing information between two mutually uninvolved collaborators
Let's say I am working on two, similar projects, on two separate grants with collaborator A and collaborator B. In the process of working with collaborator A, I came up with an idea for a new project which I am now working on based on ideas from collaboration A. Collaborator A will be a coauthor on the first manuscript on this new, tangential project, which will also acknowledge their grant.
However, I believe collaborator B would be much better suited to carry out this project in the future. Furthermore, I do not believe collaborator A is interested or competent in continuing my project. When and to what extent am I able to share the preliminary results carried out in my project with collaborator B? Should I wait until the manuscript is published? Am I breaking an implicit information embargo? (I came up with the idea for the project and carried out all the theoretical work. Collaborators A and B are experimental scientists.)

The easiest solution is to simply ask collaborator A.  Is there some reason you don't want to do this?

I would simply ask A. Say "this project has been fun, but I assume you don't want to continue to work on it for reasons X, Y, and Z. Do you have any objection to me continuing the work after this paper is published." You don't need to wait for this to be published, I see nothing wrong with saying this while writing the paper or even while concluding the research.
If they say that they don't mind, great. You don't need to tell them about he other person you will later bring in.
If they say they do mind, find out why and address their concerns.
The third option is that they surprise you and say "actually, I want to keep working on this." In that case I wouldn't try to push them out. Instead I would continue the research with them and at some point later suggest bringing B onboard as an additional collaborator.
You can inform B of the contents of the project as soon as you bring them onboard or as soon as you have a public preprint, whichever is earlier. Alternatively, you could also ask if A has any objections to you sending the paper around to a few people and send it to B.


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Can I include online reading guidance as research experience?
I graduated back in 2015 and have been serving my military obligation. Though I was off from academia, time to time, I kept in contact with former research supervisors. They gave me a list of papers to read and when I am free in the army, I read some and reproduced results of the papers in the list. I even ended up publishing a paper with my supervisors.
As my service ends in early 2018, I plan to apply for Ph.D. programs this fall and I am wondering if the activity I described above can be seen as a research experience. If so, I would like to put it on my CV, however, unlike my other experience, which was done in a specific institution as a research intern, I had no affiliation nor was a member of any institution. How can I elaborate my activity in CV?

(Comment not an answer since I’m not experienced in admissions.)  Yes, it is certainly research experience.  Informal experience of any kind is always a bit difficult to summarise and explain, but is nonetheless worth giving when it’s substantive experience; and in your case, having a joint paper published gives a very good clear indication that it was.

This is something I would just explain like you did in this question. From a potential supervisor's perspective, it is important to know that a PhD candidate is willing to go an extra mile and you clearly did that. Since a paper came out of this, you even have some evidence that you did not make up a nice story to impress someone, but you did actual research work.
I would just put a line in the cv like "independent research work jointly with xxxx, resulting in publication [yyy]".


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How to handle an obsession about being 100% academically honest
I’m an undergraduate student, and I find that multiple times (each week), I have an obsessive need to make sure something I’m doing is allowed/accepted.  I do this by asking the TA/Professor for my course in question.
It’s usually situations where it’s almost certain that something I’m doing is ethical, but I feel the need to ask for each instance if the professor did not explicitly state the rules.
Some examples:

A little while back I asked my professor if thesauruses were allowed, and if I had to cite them.  Based on common sense, I was over 95% sure it was fine – even on the university library website, links were given to a few online thesauruses.  When I asked my prof, he said that it was absolutely fine, and that thesauruses did not have to be cited.
My professor for another course mentioned that certain calculators were not allowed on tests (the kind of calculator I currently have).  I wondered if I could still use my calculator on assignments, and I assumed I probably could since he only mentioned tests.  I asked the TA about it, and he said I could.
I was wondering if I could use my course notes while doing an assignment.  I was always allowed to do this in high school, and I was 99 % certain it would be okay.  I asked the TA about it, and he replied that it’s completely okay.

I want to earn a degree that was done in perfect ethical standing.  I feel that if I don’t ensure every single thing I’m doing is completely ethical, then inevitably a few of my actions will be unethical over the four years.
I don’t want to have to keep pestering my professors about every single detail, as it wears on me and also (I’m sure) will wear on them.  At the same time, I have the problem I discussed above.  Should I just accept that it's pretty much impossible for anyone to finish a degree with a 100% ethical standing?  Any advice/experience would be greatly appreciated.

Ethics are subjective (google if you don't believe me). Just use common sense. To say it differently: you should work on developing your own good sense of ethics instead of relying on the opinion(!) of others.

Can you clarify your actual motive here: "I want to earn a degree that was done in perfect ethical standing"? Why is this/what are the motives? By which I mean 1) does this has some positive outcome, or some fear of some negative outcome you want to avoid? 2) who will be judging or assessing it ("who's it for") is it just for your own self image and self perception, because it will please you if you do or depress you if you don't, or because one or more other people might see you positively or critically, and reward/punish you? 3) is this a general thing in your life and if so...

... how have you and others seen it in the past, and how has it played out?

Have to checked for OCD or other compulsive behavior?  The label carries stigma, but you should get professional assessment so you know how to direct your energies.  You're channeling your energies in trying to satisfy this internal criteria of "100%", but it probably has a better use.

None of the examples you gave sound too problematic to me. But if it is a true case of OCD, maybe it would help to just acknowledge that upfront when you ask these questions. Like, "Thank you for answering these questions, I have a bit of OCD when it comes to academic honesty, it's something I'm trying to work on."

Having done ethics101, I seriously dont recommend you include a course in ethics for your current degree.

I had this obsession too then i got as job and realized it is useless and counterproductive. Most of the students, even the perfect-a ones, often take a look at the other guys` test answers and learn by memory this-and-that.... as my grandfather put it, "know the rules and then behave intelligently".

This might be worth talking about with someone who knows you better, like a parent - or a therapist. Apart from that I'm tempted to say it's important to develop and apply common sense and initiative rather than asking someone every single time.

What if something you're 95% sure about, ask your TA and he's also 95% sure about it and says it's ok. But it turns out not to be ok? This is not about ethics but about confirmation.

All three instances sound perfectly fine to me. But some of the information you are looking fir might also be written down somewhere. I don't know where you study but for example we in germany have a "Prüfungsordnung" which states exactly what is okay inside an exam and what not. Also out university has various look-up books for common questions. Your university probably too.

"Based on common sense, I was over 95% sure it was fine ..." It's good that you have such a common sense. I advice you to rely on it and be fine with a 95% level. You safe a lot of time by it and still will be right in the overwhelming number of cases. Most other people do it like this too (although some may have a significantly lower confidence level before acting). You will make some mistakes occasionally but that is nothing that can't be rectified by an apology. The world is full of mistakes of people, and many even don't bother to apologize.

I used to have the same problem. I had been out of school for a while when I found myself in my first grad course. I was still uncertain of exactly how hard it was going to be, and my school made sure to pump a large quantity of sternly-written conduct policies up front ("always" and "never"), so I went in almost ready to cite the manufacturer of the pen I was using to take notes. I actually debated with myself on whether to cite my style guide - I was thinking "Hey, I didn't invent APA style, so every paper I write needs to acknowledge that having a running head wasn't my original idea!"

Also, there's simply the matter of how serious academic honesty is portrayed. When the potential penalties for making a small mistake ("oops, I didn't realize I was supposed to cite that I had used Khan Academy to brush up on my math in the week before the course") are limited to small reductions in assignment grade, it's one thing to consider perspective and pick one's battles. When the "standard" penalty for "any" instance of misconduct is mandatory course failure and recommendation for expulsion, it makes one really think before acting, since even a minor mistake can be catastrophic.

@LamarLatrell very good observation. I tend to be one of those naturally ethically-conscious and fairly literal people who tend to get steered wrong by standard ethics courses. Perhaps most people need to get told to never do something in order to persuade them to switch from usually doing it to doing it only when it is really the best option, but I walk out of class thinking, "They said 'never', and never is never, so now I can't actually function in the real world anymore, what can I do?"

Generally assignments are presumed to be open book. Notes and references welcome, so long as you develop your own ideas and sentences. Citations are appropriate to backup or emphasize a particular point, or when quoting verbatim.

As the the calculator, it depends on why. If it's because it can keep notes or send messages, don't worry its not greater advantage than just general open book. Just make sure you are familiar with and approved model for the test.  If it's because it has an advance solver, then avoid that feature. Math has the advantage of showing intermediate steps, so if you a tool that that outright solves the problem and you just write in the answer it's pretty obvious you did so.. You can still use the calculator solver to double-check yourself but know sometimes the solver misses thing most humans get.

Should I just accept that it's pretty much impossible for anyone to finish a degree with a 100% ethical standing?

No, I find that to be a rather unreasonable formulation of your predicament as well as a loaded question. What you should correct is not your notion that ethical behavior is achievable, but rather your unreasonable idea of how to achieve it, and your misguided view that there is some ideal level of "100% ethical standing" that is only attainable through extreme efforts of constant vigilance and constantly pestering your professors and TAs with annoying (and unnecessary, as you yourself seem to understand quite well) questions. In general in human affairs, trying to attain 100% of anything is an example of what is known as a category error -- the act of attributing a concept that is applicable to one realm of thought to another realm where it is no longer applicable. "100% ethical standing" is simply a meaningless concept.
I could go on and give a detailed answer touching on all kinds of philosophical issues and giving you a crash course on academic ethics, but a more lightweight approach seems like it will be more useful here. Basically, you just need to chill out. Relax, trust your instincts and common sense and stop worrying about this and you'll be fine, just like the vast majority of students who just want to complete their studies honestly and then go on to make use of the knowledge they acquired.

A good yardstick is: would you be happy to have your deeds being published on the front page of your local newspaper? Let's assume it is the NYT, and not some tabloid headline as per: "Student uses Thesaurus!" "Class notes consulted during assignment!" "Scandal: pocket calculator helped to compute sine for homework!"

@CaptainEmacs great comment. "Student Uses Thesaurus!" would be one of the best New York Times headlines ever :-)

@Dan Romik Thanks, you helped put my mind at ease a bit more.  What I've gathered from this answer and the others is that completing my studies ethically doesn't necessarily mean making sure I've followed every single rule.  Being ethical just involves using common sense and acting as honestly as a I can, based off what rules I already know.  Is this a correct interpretation?

@Inertial glad I've helped a bit, but as for your question "Is this a correct interpretation?", I would have to say no, it's not, and if you have to ask, it looks like you've missed the point of my answer almost completely. You're asking me the same pointless questions that you were asking your professors and TAs. Completing your studies ethically means exactly what it says, nothing more or less, and your desire to have someone break it down for you into some exact set of instructions is precisely the nature of the problem plaguing you, and which you need to break free of. Anyway, good luck!

@DanRomik Thanks for your kind words! The idea about the "front page ethics yardstick" is  not mine, it is general wisdom in UK academia (or so I think), but the headlines are of my own stock ;-)

"stop worrying about this and you'll be fine" ( except when you mess up ), "just like the vast majority of students who just want to complete their studies honestly" ( except the vast minority that gets into trouble anyway ). A little guidance on how to adjust your moral compass for uni would be more helpful than a dismissive "you just need to chill out".

@dasdingonesin thanks for your comment. I am indeed being a bit "dismissive" of OP's concerns, but only to the extent that seems needed to point him/her in a more productive direction . What I thought was in need of adjustment is not OP's moral compass, which seems fine to me, but rather his/her sense of how frequently that compass needs to be consulted. Anyway, I look forward to reading your own own ideas of how to help, expressed as an answer.

While studying for my degree the universities plagiarism software flagged up some coursework alongside one of my cousremates, upon attending the interview about the matter it turned out the "plagiarised" elements were source code that couldn't be written differently without unnecessary complication or changes from the best solution, after 90 minutes of twisting the interviewers ear about how ridiculous the idea of plagiarism was when we were being marked on how much our solution deviated from the optimal the case was dropped. As long as you're willing to defend your actions you'll be fine.

@InertialIgnorance yes, that's a correct interpretation. I think what some here are missing is that a strong internal sense for ethics doesn't develop immediately. It takes time and experience. Before that, behaving ethically with personal uncertainty requires that you follow the guidance of others whose advice you feel you can trust.

First of all, while ethics and rules should ideally be aligned, they are not the same.
If you spent a reasonable effort to inform yourself about the rules and to apply common sense, accidentally breaking some bizarre rule is not an unethical action.
This does not only help your conscience:
Resorting to the ideal of an alignment of ethics and rules is a reasonable defence against non-obvious rules in situations where repercussions are decided on a per-case basis.
While you may face legal consequences for importing Kinder Surprise to the US without knowing about this being illegal, you will almost certainly not be expelled from your studies for something like this.
I have  yet to encounter a case where somebody claimed lack of knowledge as a defence against accusations of academic misconduct where I would not consider the lack of knowledge itself to be unethical, i.e., the accused acted unethically by neglecting to inform themselves. (Note that in most such cases, I do believe the excuse to begin with.) Going by your question, you are sufficiently informed about academic rules to satisfy my ethical standards. Now, all that is left to do for you is to use your common ethical sense and act accordingly.
All that being said, some rules of thumb for cheating and other academic misconduct are:

Adhere to the Golden Rule.
In no situation may you present somebody else’s work as your own (plagiarism).
This in particular means that you may not let somebody else do your work.
In exams and similar, all resources (pocket calculators, books, notes, communication devices) and communication are disallowed per default.
Everywhere else, all resources are allowed per default.
If there is no practicable way to prove that you broke a rule, it likely doesn’t exist.
(Note that letting somebody else do your work can be checked by having you explain your work.)
If something’s main purpose besides learning is to prepare you for an exam (e.g., exercises), it’s your own problem if you get too much help.
If you cannot think of any (good or bad) reason why something should be disallowed, it probably isn’t.

Regarding your individual examples:

A little while back I asked my professor if thesauruses were allowed, and if I had to cite them.

The work contained in a thesaurus is the collection of a list of synonyms.
Using a thesaurus to find the right word to use in a text does not pass off that work as yours.
(If your task was to compile a list of synonyms for a given word, you would indeed need to cite.)

My professor for another course mentioned that certain calculators were not allowed on tests (the kind of calculator I currently have). I wondered if I could still use my calculator on assignments […]

The reason why advanced calculators are forbidden in exams is that they can store information and completely automate certain tasks.
If you use a calculator in assignments and you still can explain how you arrived at your result, that’s usually fine by the rules.
It’s your fault if you do not sufficiently learn the respective technique (for the exam) or understand the underlying concepts (for your future).
Also, a hypothetical ban of calculators could not be enforced.

I was wondering if I could use my course notes while doing an assignment.

Besides helping you maintain your attention, the entire point of taking course notes is to allow you to use this information when learning – which is exactly what assignments are for.

Re "... letting somebody else do your work can be checked by having you explain your work", that's not always reliable.  Maybe I'm an extreme case, but I've found that it's far easier to do things than it is to explain them.

@jamesqf: Unless you have a severe communication problem, I doubt that this is so bad that others do not believe that your work is your own. Either way, it’s a common method of assessing your work (e.g., every thesis defence is this).

Maybe half a communication problem - I do often find it easier to do things like home & auto repairs myself than to explain what I want done.  But it's not that people don't believe my work is my own - after all, they see me in the process of doing it - it's that I often can't explain why I did what I did.  Sometimes I don't really understand it myself: why did I look there for the bug, instead of painstakingly working my way through the code?  I don't know, it just felt like that's where the problem was.  Call it intuition or educated guessing: it's not perfect, maybe 80%.

+1 "accidentally breaking some bizarre rule is not an unethical action" exactly! Great answer. This breaks through OP's misplaced focus on the rules and highlights the principles underneath instead.

I want first of all to follow up on a comment made by @Nelson.  You speak of an obsession and an obsessive need to behave ethically in all your student endeavors.  Could this actually be an obsession, i.e., a mental disorder?  If you (and/or your close friends and family members that are familiar with the situation) feel there is any possibility of this, I recommend that you look into it, e.g. starting with student health / counseling services.  The point is, if you do have OCD or something similar, then your course of action will be quite different from what the other answers recommend.
If things like OCD can be ruled out, then it seems that your problem is one of a lack of confidence in your understanding of the rules.  This need not be pathological: I agree that in order to act ethically according to the norms of some particular group, you have to have a good cultural understanding of those norms.  Rather than asking about every single doubt as it comes, please consider getting some more systematic help in understanding the culture of academic honesty at your particular institution.  If you are at a US institution, it is virtually certain that there are people on staff whose job it is to be experts in the local culture of academic honesty and inform the university members about it.  Making an appointment with such a person could (perhaps) go a long way to setting your mind at ease.
I suggest that you ask in particular:

Can you list some things that I can be confident it is ethical to use when doing assignments unless specifically informed to the contrary: e.g. dictionaries, thesauruses, calculators?
Are there any contexts in which it would not be permissible to use my own course notes when doing an assignment?  Is it the instructor's responsibility to specify them?

I will end with two comments:
First, as a math professor I find it completely reasonable to ask whether calculators are permitted when doing homework assignments.  There are times when they won't be.  Asking once per course is not pestering anybody.
Second, both of my parents were English professors and there was never a thesaurus in our home.  My own unsolicited opinion is: choosing the right word is a critically important writing skill.  If you have it, you don't need a thesaurus.  If you don't have it, then -- because a thesaurus just lists approximate synonyms without analyzing gradations of meaning -- using a thesaurus could lead to replacing a better word by a worse one and could make your writing sound stilted and artificial.

There are thesauri that analyse gradations of meaning, see e.g. my suggestion in this answer.

@Massimo: Well, get ready for an unsatisfying response: yes, in my house growing up we had a book that analyzed gradations of meaning.  It just wasn't called a thesaurus!  Nowadays if I want to understand subtle differences in meaning between X and Y I am liable to google "X versus Y."

Having a thesaurus for a great writer is like a programmer having access to an API reference manual or a programming language spec. It's an essential skill to be able to use the resource and to know when to use it, but if you are consulting the resource every ten seconds you are doing it wrong.

I sometimes use a thesaurus to see if there is a better or equally good word. However, the thesaurus doesn't tell me if the words it suggests are better, worse or as good as the word I look up. If this is what you expect a thesaurus to do, then it is going to turn out badly. But I think the answer is that you shouldn't expect a thesaurus to do this in the first place.

Like Dan Romik I think you should just relax. But I can't understand the rest of his answer. There are plenty of areas where it is sensible to try to attain 100% of something, and often possible to achieve that - attendance at work, correct spelling, responding to e-mails, etc.
I suppose by "100% ethical standing" you mean complete certainty that you have not violated any ethical rule, even inadvertently. I think you should read the ethics rules of your university and do your best to follow them (but without constantly pestering the professors), and if you are 99% sure that something is OK then stop worrying and just do it.
I don't agree with louic, who says "Ethics are subjective (google if you don't believe me). Just use common sense." Just because people have different views about something doesn't mean they are all equally valid. People who deliberately cheat at university sometimes try to defend their actions with arguments such as "Everyone else does it," "I had to do it in order to pass," etc. They are presumably using their own judgment and following what they see as common sense, but they are acting unethically.
And I don't much like Captain Emacs' view either: "A good yardstick is: would you be happy to have your deeds being published on the front page of your local newspaper?" This assumes that everyone's conscience is basically right, or as good as anyone else's, and everyone feels shame when their misdeeds are exposed. In reality some people have stronger consciences, or stronger moral fiber, than others. But we can all try to improve.

While noting that this isn't a discussion forum, I'd point out that Captain Emacs isn't assuming that everybody's conscience is basically right: rather, they're assuming that the asker's conscience is basically right. That seems like a reasonable assumption, given that the asker is clearly trying to avoid cheating in any imaginable way.

Well, the phrase "A good yardstick is ..." and the generality of the advice suggest that Captain Emacs did mean it as a maxim that applies to everyone.

Basically, everyone else is suggesting you should relax, and probably they are right. But it seems possible that sometimes you do not feel comfortable doing that, but still you do not want (or you can not) ask your TA or your professor.
Then there is a very simple way to be sure you do not make anything bad. If you think you might be breaking a rule even with probability 0.1%, then you can still follow that rule ; probably, there is no rule forbidding you to follow it.
Moreover, most of the time, the university will do something to enforce everyone follows its rules. In this case, you will know what you do is ethical as you do not have to hide to do it.
So that is my advice :

in most universities, every rule that could easily be enforced by the university but is obviously not is not a rule of the university. Probably you should know if it is the case of your university.
some rules may be possible to follow anyway. If it is obviously impossible (like your assignment is impossible to complete without a calculator), then such a rule does not exist.
for the other rules, maybe you can ask.

How do I know the assignment is impossible without a calculator rather than my just not knowing how to do it without one? I don't see that this bit of your answer is usable by a student. After all, my assignment may seem to me to be impossible with or without a calculator. (Obviously, there might be some exceptions e.g. where the assignment actually references a calculator, but then the impossibility test is hardly needed.)

'Every rule that could easily be enforced by the university but is obviously not is not a rule of the university.' This is false. Some rules are just widely ignored and nobody does anything about it or nobody cares. But they are still rules. At least in the UK, some of these are really bizarre, but they are rules all the same.

@cfr : 1. It was more of an example, but sometimes it may be said explicitely somewhere that such or such thing cannot be done without a calculator in short time.
2. I guess that any such rule should at least be well-known (and then there is no doubt to have), else there is no purpuse having a rule which is both hidden and not enforced ; perhaps everyone forgot to remove it? Anyway it is bizarre and I admit I did not think it was possible. I correct my answer accordingly.

Sometimes I think that "Well, people who break the rules get caught and punished, and I've not been notified of any pending disciplinary proceedings, so I must be following the rules!". I get confident, but then turn on the TV and see another news article about another clergy member facing charges for sexually abusing children way back in the 1970's, and I think that there's a Sword of Damocles hanging over me, threatening to nix my career on a vague suspicion that I might have used crib notes on a sixth grade spelling test, making my career a lie built on lies soon to be exposed to the world.

This is a problem of yourself not trusting your judgment, not a problem of academic ethics.
So if you honestly ask yourself is the probability of this being ethical 99% or more and you make decision based on that you will be fine.
Problem is that you are uncomfortable doing that, not that most of the dilemmas you face are actually hard to estimate.
disclaimer: I am not saying that your problem is invented or easy, just that this does not sound to me like a question of ethics.


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Permissible gap between sub-topics of a PhD thesis?
I am a Ph.D. student who decided to change the direction midway. At a high level, I work on combinatorial optimization under uncertainty. In my proposal, I had said that I would use a technique A and its variants to tackle my problem. But now I have become uninterested in this direction.

I want to broaden my combinatorial optimization problem to P' so that I can consider a technique B which is totally unrelated to A, and since I broadened the problem I cannot directly compare the results from A.
Furthermore, I want to make some more changes in the problem to P'' and then use a technique C.

Now I have problems P,P', P'' which are variants of same combinatorial optimization problem under uncertainty but the techniques A, B and C are completely different and the results cannot be compared directly. Though I will compare A, B and C with techniques from literature separately. The underlying link is that all these problems are characterized by uncertain information.
Can I rope this into a thesis? Please note that I have finished my work with P, A and am starting to think about P', B. My concern is that there is a gap between these sub-topics and my Ph.D. thesis might lack cohesion. Suggestions/advice requested.

"Uninterested", as far as I know, is the same as "not interested". But "disinterested", on the other hand, means "I ain't got no dog in this race." I.e. a judge who presides when the XYZ Corporation sues the ABC Corporation should not be a stockholder in the ABC Corporation; rather he is supposed to be "disinterested".

@MichaelHardy what???

This is a standard distinction between "uninterested" and "disinterested".

OK, Thanks for correction. I am uninterested in that direction :)

From your description there seems to already be a fair amount of cohesion in your research. No need to apologize for it not being even more cohesive. If you spin it the right way, it is likely that no one (but you) who reads the thesis will think that there is anything at all odd about it.
In the introduction you could perhaps say something like: "In this thesis we explore 3 methods for optimization under uncertainty. The methods are used to solve 3 variations of problem ...". In a summary chapter you could explain why A is appropriate for P, B is appropriate for P' and C is appropriate for P". That type of thing might be important to know. For example, it is useful to know that a greedy algorithm works for the generic minimum cost spanning tree problem but is not appropriate when there are constraints on the maximum degree of the nodes in the resulting tree (since the latter is NP-hard).

Your welcome -- your question reminded me of my own thesis. I never solved the problem that I set out to solve but instead got sidetracked on better understanding the tool that my advisor recommended I use. I was able to use this tool to solve some other problems which were only loosely related to the original problem. It wasn't what I was aiming for, but I was still happy with the result. Good luck.

But still, your thesis solved one particular problem. I have already solved one problem using a method and published it. Now I am looking at a related problem but a different solution.

Ask your advisor. In most places, they de facto alone decide whether or not a thesis satisfies the program' requirements.
Even if, in your place, they don't, the can give your valuable information as it is their job to advise you.

Unfortunately I am between two different advisors. In other words I have left one and in the midst of finding the next one. Cannot afford to do nothing in this period as funding is limited.

@Damodar Then talk to your chair.

In general, there is nothing wrong with having a thesis with disjunct topics. How well it is received does matter on the field. In theoretical computer science it is rather common. We just had a defense last week with 3 completely disjunct topics. And the guy got a summa cum laude.

Is it OK if 30% of my thesis is theoretical and the rest is based on simulation and experiments?


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Applying for both assistant and associate professor position at the same university
I'm an established, normal, non-stellar postdoc in computer science, several years after my PhD defense, and am going now for higher-rank academic positions. A particular university in the US offers both assistant and associate professor positions in my subfield. These are two different positions, but the announcements are copy-and-pasted with small adaptations. I would like to apply for both, since I wish to maximize my chances at a small additional cost (about an hour of adapting the cover letter and submitting).

Is it normal to apply for two positions simultaneously?
Is there anything particular to be paid attention to in the application documents (cover letter, research statement, teaching statement, reference list, publication list)?
What are the typical pitfalls of job seekers in such a case?

From my understanding, the chances of getting an associate professor position (in the US) without being a well-reputed assistant professor or having a stellar resume (in terms of publications, grants, industry, committee work etc.) is very small. But, you can always apply to the assistant professor position :)

First of all, are you sure you have a clear idea on the distinction between an assistant professor and an associate professor at a US institution, and in particular at this US institution?
The majority of associate professorships come with tenure, so that's the first thing to find out.  To go from a postdoc position to a tenured position on arrival is possible but really rare -- this is something that happens to someone because they're a superstar, not because they went the extra mile in applying for more positions.  To apply for both a tenured position and an untenured position sounds a bit weird to me: are you qualified for and desiring of tenure on arrival or not?  If the associate professor position does not come with tenure, it is not completely clear what the advantage to you in taking it is.  At all US institutions I know, the responsibilities and rights of all tenure track faculty are essentially identical (exceptions include certain faculty votes).  Moreover, in my department the average salary for assistant professors is sometimes higher than that for associate professors, because the annual raises do not keep up with market value.  At most institutions I know of you get a fixed, automatic raise upon promotion from assistant to associate and from associate to full, so arriving as an assistant professor with a short tenure clock might be more lucrative than arriving as an associate professor.
I would recommend against doing this "just to economize."  To address your specific questions:

Is it normal to apply for two positions simultaneously?

It is not so abnormal, anyway.  I have often seen people apply for both postdoc and tenure track assistant professor positions.  Actually though this makes more sense to me, because these are both natural continuations of a PhD or postdoc position.  But I can't think of anyone who has applied for two positions and been awarded the higher position.  (I applied to my present institution for a postdoc the year before I applied as a tenure track assistant professor.  I didn't get the postdoc position, but I did get the tenure track one the next year!)
I think most people's reaction to that will just be to consider you for whichever of the two positions seems most appropriate to them.  Conversely, if multiple positions are available and you apply to one position, if those who read your application think you are better suited for another position, they may invite you to apply for it or even just carry over your application.

Is there anything particular to be paid attention to in the application documents (cover letter, research statement, teaching statement, reference list, publication list)?

Presumably the documents would all be identical except for the cover letter.  If you actually have a good rationale to apply for both, the cover letter is a good place to explain this.

What are the typical pitfalls of job seekers in such a case?

The main risk is along the lines I outlined above: it makes you look a bit naive and unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of academic jobs.  But most young academics are this way to some extent, so I don't think it's a terrible risk.  On the other hand, I don't see much reward either.
All of this is a great thing to talk to your advisors / mentors about, by the way.  If you're really a good fit to go straight to an associate professor job, they'll know and be happy to tell you.

I know a number of people who have applied to joint assistant/associate level searches without specifying which level they want. They were either assistant coming up for tenure or associate willing to take a step back (to step up) and willing to take a position with a short tenure clock, but wanted to use that as a negotiating point (if you are not going to give me tenure, then I want more money).

@Axel yes, in that I know people who have gotten appointed with and without tenure. In some departments hiring with tenure is much harder to do and the Dean's like to see short tenure clocks, other departments do not care. Letting departments have what they want means you can get more of what you want.

@StrongBad: Yes, that's a good point.  If you're already a tenure track assistant professor with some time served, it makes much more sense to consider positions at both levels.  In my own experience this would not really be done by applying for two separate positions but by applying for a position and then negotiating the particulars, but surely it works that way at some institutions.

@PeteL.Clark I agree about the one application, single departments running two searches in the same area is a rare thing, at least in my field.

I know cases of people hired as associate professor, tenure track.

@Martin: Me too.  I even know cases of people hired as a full professor...at Harvard and Princeton.  They are however very rare.

I know of those, too. But I meant without tenure, to apply for tenure a few years down the road.

I'm going to answer for the general case (applying for two positions) and then touch on your specific case.

Is it normal to apply for two positions simultaneously?

In a general sense, it is normal to apply for two or more open positions for which you are otherwise qualified. For example, my current position was one of two that were similar in broad strokes, but had somewhat different spins on what they were looking for. In these cases, candidates are often shuffled into the position that the hiring committee thinks is the best fit, though with the possibility of being moved around if the short list of people who "naturally" fit in Position A happen to be better than the people for Position B.
In your particular case however, those two positions are based on rank. Unless this university has an unusual definition of associate professor, that's a tenured or at the very least "established researcher" position, and I'd peg your odds of being able to move into that position as being indistinguishable from zero.

Is there anything particular to be paid attention to in the
  application documents (cover letter, research statement, teaching
  statement, reference list, publication list)?

The cover letter, research statement and teaching statement need to speak to the specific position. This often doesn't have to be much, but they should not be whole-hog duplicates. For example, your cover letter should mention the specific position, and why you think you're qualified for that position.
In your case...you'd need to justify why you're appropriate for an associate professor rank. While there are some people just entering faculty jobs who I could see articulating such a case (senior quasi-academics in government or private industry moving into academia) I have a hard time envisioning such a case for you, given the information we have.

What are the typical pitfalls of job seekers in such a case?

As long as you're qualified for both positions, and speak to them, I don't think there are major pitfalls.
However, if you aren't really well suited for both positions, you run the risk of your applications coming off as "spammy" and wasting the search committee's time, even if you might have been an okay candidate for one of them. And in your case, you'd be coming off as worrisomely naive about how academia actually works for someone expected to be running their own research program in the very near future.

+1 worrisomely naive as usual, you put into words what I am thinking in a much clear way than I can.

@StrongBad Very kind of you to say.

I'm an established, normal, non-stellar postdoc in computer science, several years after my PhD defense

Then you might be qualified for an assistant level TT position, but unless your subfield is really unique, then I do not see how you would be qualified for an associate level position. Promotion from assistant to associate usually occurs somewhere between 5 and 7 years after starting. Even in a hot field where your years as a post doc might count towards the tenure clock, I don't see how someone who describes themselves as a normal, non-stellar postdoc would be competitive for an associate level position.

What are the typical pitfalls of job seekers in such a case?

The major pitfall is that by applying to both people conclude that you do not understand how the academic system works and that you are unaware of the work that it will take for you to eventually get promoted to associate. At some point, if you are "lucky" your application will be looked at relative to other associate level applications. This can result in nasty things being said about your qualifications (e.g., the funding record is really weak or the references make you sound inexperienced) to move you down the rankings. These  statements may then carry over to the assistant level search even if they might be completely untrue at the assistant level.

@Axel: I can't tell, but it seems you may still be missing the point. The discussion about "normal, non-stellar postdoc" is coming up because unless your letters of recommendation will say "This is the single strongest postdoc in the US in the last 5 years" then there is no way you will jump straight from a postdoc to a tenured position, and applying for one looks naive.


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"The Immigration Reform and Control Act" (IRCA) for EU applicants
I'm a European Union citizen living in EU and applying for an assistant professorship position in US. The application form asks the question

For purposes of compliance with The Immigration Reform and Control Act, are you legally eligible for employment in the United States?

I know too little about U.S. immigration laws, and the text of the mentioned act looks complete gibberish to me. Could anyone say what the standard answer to this question would be and why?
Remark: this question is formally different from the one stated in a question on general eligibility (first, here the context is a particular legislation act with its own terminology, second, there the question contains "presently", and, third, there no answer refers to IRCA explicitly). In law matters, this difference may be important.

@Axel: The answers there deal with the IRCA, just not by name. However, if you want a precise legal answer, you'll need to consult immigration lawyers who can give answers with authority.

@aeismail No. Even if so, that's not mentioned visibly there. The abbreviation IRCA or "Immigration Reform and Control Act" are not referenced there explicitly.

As far as I know, these clauses in application forms, are there for legal and nominal reasons only. The university is legally obliged by law to put this clause. This does not mean the committee will actually take this into consideration, and my experience is that they don't.
You should thus write that you are not eligible to work currently in the US, as indeed you are not. But this should not constitute a cause for concern.

The IRCA basically lays out what is required to establish that immigrants are able to work in the US. The question is unclear for foreign citizens: until they arrive with the appropriate visa, they are unable to work legally in the US. So you might want to check if they mean that you'd be eligible for a visa, or if you already have one.

@Axel: IRCA = Immigration Reform and Control Act.

I'm not sure it's "unclear". What they mean is indeed whether currently s/he is eligible to work in the USA. This is probably a clause required by law. The USA may have nominal quotas for incoming immigration workforce and they want to monitor this.


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How long are "brief statements of research and teaching interests"?
I'm applying for a computer science tenure-track assistant-professor position in the U.S. Some job announcements ask for brief statements of research and teaching interests. How long is this "brief" typically? I.e., how long is a

a brief research statement
a brief teaching statement?

If that helps, you may assume single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1.25-inch margin on letter-size paper.
(An aside: such job announcements remind me of cake recipes containing "add nuts according to your taste". Such a phrase always drove me crazy. Does it mean 1 g, 5 g, 25 g, 125 g, or 625 g of nuts? I am in great difficulty when I am reading "add 1 cup of milk, 3 or 4 apples, and cinnamon according to your taste". My gosh, how large is your cup and how big are your apples? Sour ones or sweet ones? And how much cinnamon do I really like? Having said that, when seeing brief above, I am feeling hopelessly lost.)

Reflections on my tenure-track assistant professor job search might be a good read for you. It reads "My research statement was four (single-spaced,  12-point  font, 1.25-inch margin) pages, which seems
standard for my field.  The first 1.5 pages described my prior work,  the next 1.5 pages presented my future research agenda, and the final page was a bibliography listing mostly my own papers" His field is Computer Science. Other than that, have a look at this list. And don't talk about recipes!

Well, if the "regular" size is 4, I would say that brief is 2. There's no absolute rule, just be more concise (I have been hired as an assistant prof. in CS last year, and I know how vague the instructions can be). You can also ask.

If it helps, a cup is a unit of measurement.  4 make a quart...Cinnamon usually goes with sweet stuff - unless we're talking about a specific drink.   When in doubt on fruit sizes a safe bet is to go with middle of the road based on what you have available at your grocer.  The difference from a medium to large or medium to small won't matter much.

Coming from pure math at a research institution, typical lengths are 1-2 pages for teaching statements and 4-6 pages for research statements.  However, some people go overboard (e.g., including loads of teaching evaluations) or write long research statements (8+ pages) targeted at experts.  I would interpret "brief" to mean: don't do this.  Moreover, if the school is not much of a research school, I would recommend the research statement being closer to 2-3 pages.
Incidentally, I don't think having page lengths written into the job ads is a good thing.  This isn't a high school assignment.  You are free to say how much you want to, in what format you want to.  Some 2-page statements take longer to read than 4-pages ones, depending on how they're written (bullet points, figures, references,  etc).


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How do I find new problems to work on while attending a workshop?
I am attending my first ever workshop next week, in Theoretical Computer Science. My goal is plain - discuss interesting ideas to find new problems to work on and collaborators to work with. My advisor is very supportive of this, as he says one must always try to work on problems independently (or at least with other students/non-professors) on the side.
While I'm very excited at the prospect of something good panning out of this, I'm also very nervous for the following reasons: 1) I have zero publications. Our current work is not completely written up yet. 2) I also am slow in understanding things, so I tend to ask lots of questions in talks otherwise can't get anything out of them and quickly get lost.
I am worried that these two characteristics will make me appear very undesirable as a collaborator.
I am also not totally clear on  how I can steer a conversation with someone (say during a coffee break) to "Do you have any problems you are interested in that I could also work on?". Obviously this is 100% selfish, but it's really my only interest in being at the workshop.
Any advice is much appreciated!

Do not listen to the Impostor Syndrome!

@JeffE I appreciate the response, but I believe that not everyone that thinks they are slow or among the weaker researchers suffer from the Impostor Syndrome: someone's got to be in the bottom half. I can, however, take your advice in the spirit that "no matter what they think of me, I'm going to boldly go and talk to these awesome people" :)


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CV for Ph.D. Applications: how long is too long?
I am currently tailoring my CV for Ph.D. applications (STEM). I am applying to various schools in USA and Europe, and most of them are competitive.
Given that I will have a Master's as well as >5 years of research experience in my field, I would like to list most of what I have done/been awarded -- all of which is academically relevant, including roughly a dozen publications -- and am trying to fit everything into my CV/application profile.
Some schools specifically recommend that the CV be around 2 pages long, others make no mention. Some schools have specific fields for listing awards/publications/etc, others don't. However, the shortest I've managed is 4-5 a pages long without crowding the pages with information. Should I keep trying to make it 2 pages long? How long is too long?

You should list all relevant experience in your C.V. and application. Two pages is a rough guideline for the typical master's or Ph.D. candidate coming directly out of a university with limited research experience. This does not describe your situation. So if you need more than two pages, it's certainly appropriate to go over that limit. Where I would try to save some space is in the presentations and posters section—perhaps you could list invited talks instead of all your talks.

Especially the last sentence: highlight those activities where academia chose you, specifically, to bring something to the table.

Imagine a professor on an admissions committee, with many times as many applications to review as open places in the PhD program. Given a four or five page CV, there is a risk they will skim rather than carefully considering every line. They may not notice the most important items, because they are buried in less important material.
It may be a better strategy to edit down to the things that are most likely to make them select you. You should list all your publications - that may account for half a page. Beyond that, select the most impressive awards, not necessarily everything. Select the most important and relevant achievements.

Right. After my Master's degree and working, I stopped including most information from my undergrad, for instance. In addition to listing the degree (obviously), I only included 2 impressive awards and one work experience from those years, not everything.

As a professor who has been many times on admissions committee, I disagree. Most applications are dismissed in matters of seconds; the applications near the top receive lot of scrutiny. Do list everything that bolsters your case. I'd just advise placing the most impressive things near the top, to help making the initial cut.

It's hard to tell you because it also depend of the culture.
I know that in France, if you are a junior, we like a one page CV. If you have 10 years of experience, you can increase to two or three..
One or two could be the best. It's not about how long it is, it's about how relevant your experience is.

Are you sure about 2-3 pages for someone with 10 years experience? Is that with a separate publication list?

@TobiasKildetoft Imho, Valentin's answer is especially true in the french industry, where CV do not exceed 1 page as junior, and 2 as senior. "Academic CV" have quite different requirements/expectations. Yet in France, bridges between academia and the industry are not as close as they are in other countries - hence the lack of general familiarity regarding academic CV.

@TobiasKildetoft here a CV from a high experienced professor : http://perso.univ-lille3.fr/~pcanivez/static7/cv
Here another one : http://perso.univ-lille3.fr/~sdeiulio/

But there's others people : http://perso.univ-lille3.fr/~sdabo/CVactuel_2014.pdf
This one is about 18 pages. These 3 CV are all good.

A CV is the highlights of what your done from which the other side extrapolates your average performance, so the more good quality work you can put in the CV the better. I would thus recommend no more than 2 pages, personally preferring one page. No one reads all the details anyway.
Check every line in the CV for the question, how does this show I'm uniquely qualified for the position?
For a PhD I'd be looking at persistence in the face of adversity, ability to power through difficult problems, ability to problem solve and innovate.


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How to prevent work from exacerbating situational depression?
I am experiencing situational depression. This isn't 'discouragement' due to research. Me feeling inadequate in my research is NOT the problem. The problem is that the steps involved in research seem to be at best, not helping, or worse - exacerbating the negative emotions that are associated with depression.
Let me rephrase that - I have not felt 'impostor syndrome', and I do not feel it now (sorry if it sounds a tad bigheaded but I want to avoid confusion).
I have some idea of the things I need to do to combat depression, but it seems to me that they all involve staying away from work at the lab. Has anyone faced this? Can I do anything to prevent loss of productivity?
Usually, I hear the following ways to fight depression:

Get in a routine.
Set goals.
Do something new (don't get stuck in a rut)

Now, these can be applied when I am free. But the majority of my waking hours are in the lab (or supposed to be). While doing bio research:

The routine/ schedule is thrown off whack by unforeseen developments/ etc.
Goals, even minor ones, may or may not be reached. This is research.
Can't help getting stuck in a rut if we're trying to get data out of a particular experiment.

I took a week off, and it helped, but doesn't seem to have helped enough. Any suggestions?

I'm confused about whether you are looking for (1) ways to remain productive despite having depleted emotional and mental energy, or (2) ways to prevent your work from exacerbating the depression. In other words, are you trying to "fix" your work productivity, given your depression? Or are you trying to "fix" your depression, given the requirement of having to remain productive at work? Can you clarify?

Both, but more (2) than (1). The responses to the question you linked are mostly in the vein of 'Don't worry - research is tough. We all are in the same boat'. I understand that. Or, let me put it this way - I have never felt a sense of impostor syndrome, and neither do I do so now. I simply cannot seem to work as I did before. In fact, the work seems to be becoming part of the problem, although I see no reason for it to be. Hope that makes some sense.

I agree with OP that the linked question does not seem to apply at all to this situation. I also agree that this is a style of questions that seems familiar, so it may be a duplicate. But it is certainly NOT a duplicate of the linked question.

OK. I edited to clarify. I also encourage you to read: Strategies to avoid burn out due to systemic lack of time, Is it common for people in academia to experience prolonged lack of sleep and how to deal with it?, What can I do to recover from a short term burnout?, (to be continued...)

How to prevent physical/psychological health side effects of workaholism in academia and research?, Overcoming depression and getting back on rails with PhD work and of course How should I deal with discouragement as a graduate student?. (Read all the answers, not just the top one on each post.)  Even if not identical to your situation, I imagine most of the answers that can possibly be applied to yours, are mentioned among those.

In particular: note that many of those answers include specific, concrete steps you can take. Not just commiseration.

You are mistakenly conflating hours spent in the lab with productivity. There is certainly a point of "diminished returns," where extra hours don't actually improve your productivity, and actively harms it in the longer run.
A few ways to change up your routine:

Work on your most important task first thing in the morning.
Focus exclusively on your work for 20-30 minutes at a time. This means no checking email, no chatting with lab mates, or other distractions. After you're done with your block of time, take a few minutes to recharge before restarting (or moving to a new task).
Avoid obsessively checking your email. Pick a few times per day to answer your email and engage in social media, and stick to it. (And don't spend multiple hours during such sessions; figure out what's important and what isn't, so that you can be finished in 15-20 minutes or so.)

You'll find you probably get more done in less time following such an approach than just spending tons of hours in the laboratory. This will also give you time for your personal life, which brings me to my other point:

"Block out" time in your schedule for "recharging" activities.

The nature of the "recharging" activity will depend on what works best for you: some people exercise, others engage in artistic or creative activities, and still others meditate. It doesn't really matter what you do to clear your mind and "recharge your batteries"; however, you should make time for it, and make sure that you stick to it. It doesn't need to be an extensive commitment: even an hour or two per week can suffice.


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Should I include "visiting" in my visiting assistant professor, or just call myself assistant professor?
I have a visiting assistant professor (VAP) position, and that is how I list myself on academic sites like ResearchGate and LinkedIn. I have on more than one occasion, however, seen that people in VAPs will list themselves only as "assistant professor," in things like email signatures or on websites.
Is this acceptable? Because of course if that is acceptable or expected to some degree, I would probably do the same to make myself look better at surface level. My first impression is honestly just that it is just upselling for the sake of students and other correspondents though, and my guess is that it would make a bad impression to do so and have search committees seeing that on a website or whatever after they get your CV with the VAP in an application.
Is this a wrong impression or should I update all my online statuses?
[Edit: just to clarify, I was not asking for permission to lie about my status. I have never altered my title nor really planned to, but given what I observed I felt it was still a question that could be clarified. As you might expect, the observations I was talking about come from junior faculty colleagues at my institution, so I was unsure of the typicality of such behavior.]

Why would "assistant professor" make you look better than "visiting assistant professor"?

Without "visiting," the implication is that you are in a tenure-track position.

That depends, but even so being tenure-track vs non-tenure-track does not make one better or worse, just in a different stage of one's career.  (In my department, we are much more likely to hire someone for a tenure-track position who is not in one already.)

I think that I would just state "visiting Assistant Professor". Stating that one is an "Assistant Professor" seems to me to be a bit misleading and could even backfire if it leads to people wondering why your "Assistant Professorship" never led to a full Professor position. Besides, a visiting assistant professorship listed on a CV looks fine as-is.

No, it is not "upselling" - your usage of the word differs significantly from its dictionary definition. The correct word for what you are proposing to do is "lying". If you follow this dishonest approach, I suspect you will not be upgrading to a non-visiting assistant professor position any time soon.

Thanks for feedback, all. @DanRomik, I wasn't endorsing the above actions and haven't engaged in them. I was really only asking about something I observed in case I was missing some kind of accepted behavior. In such cases of similar questions in the future, I'll use the third person. Just adding this as I felt your evaluation was being directed at me personally, although I may be misreading. Thanks though for your feedback.

@M.E.Ward no worries, thanks for the clarification. Sorry if it came out too strong, I was just trying to caution you not to act dishonestly (or in a way that appears dishonest to others), so I'm glad to hear that you didn't and don't plan to.

I agree with you.  People expect websites, email signatures, etc, to have accurate job titles, and there is a major qualitative difference between "Visiting Assistant Professor" and "Assistant Professor".  Dropping the "Visiting" unintentionally is careless, and intentionally dropping it to "upsell" (i.e. mislead) is unethical.
(You might as well say, as long as you're dropping words, why not just make yourself a full "Professor"?)


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Citing an article that the journal serialized

Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento 1825-1827." Calif Hist QJ Calif Hist Soc 24.4 (1945): 289-320.
Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento, 1825-1827 (Continued)." California Historical Society Quarterly 25.1 (1946): 57-78.
...
Reynolds, Keld J. "Principal Actions of the California Junta De Fomento, 1825-1827 (Concluded)." California Historical Society Quarterly 25.4 (1946): 347-367.

This monograph was serialized in five quarterly installments. It was tricky to collate the parts using JSTOR, especially because none of the page numbers are consecutive. The middle three even have the same title, (Continued).
Should citing several elements of this paper produce multiple bibliography entries? I would rather be able to refer to it as a unitary work, but that work is a weirdly paginated, hypothetical one. If the answer is down to a difference between style standards, please indicate which styles those are.

The general rule is to always, always cite material as it is published, even if that somehow looks weird to you. This monograph has, for reasons we all can only speculate about, been split into 5 papers, so you cite it as if it were 5 papers. You do not pretend like it was somehow a single virtual paper. Even if the papers have partially the same name, at least the volume or issue number should be different. Yes, this will look like you have a duplicate entry in your bibliography to the casual observer, but I am afraid this can't be helped.
Further, note that you probably only need to cite a subset of these 5 installments. Again, treat them as different papers, and only cite the subset that actually contains arguments that are relevant to the article you are currently working on.

I may have to cite all five then. Shaking my fist at the editor that made the decision to serialize.


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A bibliography with entries in several scripts
How should a bibliography cite works titled in several scripts?
Up to now I've been putting all titles into a single list, in the original scripts and in the alphabetical order informed by their otherwise unused transliterations. For example, Матюшкин (Matyushkin) could come right after Mason, but the transliteration Matyushkin would not appear.
I have a book in hand from Princeton University Press in the 1950s that also uses a single bibliographic order, but includes only transliterations and title translations, not the original-script references. That makes it hard to track down a source because the reader has to be able to back-form the other spelling, which may be ambiguous or nonstandard. The title translations are useful, though as they involve the creation of new text, they can make an entry not match references elsewhere to the same work.
Filled with doubt, I wonder if there is a standard approach to this problem.

For non-Roman scripts, it's common to have separate bibliographies. I imagine that this was especially the case when switching languages required switching codesets or linotype font sets.
So you'd have:

English language bibliography
Chinese language bibliography

and so forth. There's even a question on the TeX.stackexchange on how to do this: https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/343307/put-chinese-language-entries-before-english-language-entries-in-the-bibliography
These days, it's easy to mix the two together as unicode solved many of the font issues. But separating them allows you to use the name ordering system most appropriate for that language.

I can understand how in many cases this works, but it doesn't seem to scale well for many scripts or in the field of history: https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/90957/when-should-history-bibliographies-be-categorized

I think it's best to use transliterations as the basis for the bibliography. However, if you'd like to also provide the spelling according to the original language's alphabet, you can do so in parenthesis after the transliteration.
I suspect the tendency to use transliterations arose because it was too expensive to have additional languages when documents had to be typed or typeset before publication. In the modern digital era, such limitations have largely disappeared.


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time management for applications: apply more or apply better?
I am a postdoc applying for tenure-track assistant professorship positions. I am writing one application per day and have less time that positions to apply for: some job offers expire before I am able to submit. Recently, the templates of my application files (cv, research statement, teaching statement, cover letter) have been proof-read by a native English speaker, and some blatantly embarrassing errors have been found and corrected.
It would take me 1-2 full days to correct about 7 applications which have already been uploaded to the human-resources sites of various institutions but which are still editable. What's better: invest time into one or two new applications or correct errors in the old ones?

I would recommend to focus on the positions you would like to obtain, or that you think you are likely to get: don't waste time fixing an application where you suspect you have few chances, or for a job you are unlikely to accept. But I suspect the answer you'll get will be primarily opinion-based.

It would take you up to 2 days to correct errors in 7 applications? That seems like a very long time for that.

@TobiasKildetoft It is not only "correcting errors", it's also finding out which applications are actually still editable, indeed logging in, replacing files, dealing with "Error 403 - system maintenance", and all the usual dirty electronic fuss. Correction itself is an hour per application, assuming the documents are found and already open in the corresponding editor.