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I finished my undergrad last year and have since been working in the private sector. I'm about to submit a paper with my senior thesis results. Two questions about corresponding author information:

  1. I'm listing my current affiliation in the private sector for various reasons. We are moving offices, and our address will be changing in about 3 months. Should I use the new mailing address or the old mailing address? I know it's kind of silly since nobody sends mail anymore, but I'm curious either way.

  2. I will probably be going to grad school in a couple of years, and my private sector e-mail will not be accessible if I leave. Would it be passé for me to list my @gmail.com address for correspondence to ensure I'm always reachable?

Thanks!

Nicole Ruggiano
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dmahr
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2 Answers2

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  1. I agree with you and shan23, it doesn't really matter, but the newer is probably better.

  2. Well, to be bluntly honest, I tend to have a negative a-priori when I see an author of a paper with a gmail address (especially when I review it, when it's not double-blind). I know it's stupid, because it should only be about the quality of the work, but I can't really help it. Mostly because I know that there is no authentication with gmail address (I potentially could get an [email protected] address). I think it's ok to give an address that will change, after all, few people spend their entire career in the same institution.

  • From a reviewers perspective, do you think it's any better to have the e-mail domain be a private sector company? In my case that's the alternative--a consulting firm that is loosely involved in the field. – dmahr Feb 16 '12 at 14:33
  • @Charles - well, I guess that's why we have a double blind system in most (if not all) conferences/journals, to remove this bias! – TCSGrad Feb 16 '12 at 14:51
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    @dmahr It's hard to generalize for other reviewers, but yes, as a reviewer myself, I think it's better to have the e-mail domain of a private sector company rather than a gmail address. –  Feb 16 '12 at 14:54
  • @shan23 I agree, but I have to admit that I will get the same bias when I read the paper (which also a reason why I don't like double-blind, because I can't see why the reviewer shouldn't read the paper as the reader will do if accepted). –  Feb 16 '12 at 15:04
  • @CharlesMorisset Thanks for your opinion as a reviewer. In your opinion, do you think the negative bias towards gmail.com authors outweighs the inconvenience of having an unreachable email address in 18 months time? – dmahr Feb 16 '12 at 15:13
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    @dmahr In my personal opinion, yes it does. I'm doing my third postdoc right now, meaning that I've had 4 different affiliations over the past 5 years, and each time, I've used the email I had at the time, I don't think it ever impacted me. –  Feb 16 '12 at 15:31
  • @CharlesMorisset Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! – dmahr Feb 16 '12 at 15:49
  • Since you mention the lack of authentication, anyone can fake a university address as sender as well, and some can possibly even a backdoor to hijack a true account (although, to what avail...?). But maybe it's time to think about PGP more, for a lot of other reasons as well – Tobias Kienzler Sep 12 '12 at 09:12
  • @TobiasKienzler: sure, but it's much harder to fake as receiver ... whereas I can potentially create any named address on gmail, and receive emails on it. –  Sep 12 '12 at 09:22
  • @CharlesMorisset That's why hope using a PGP key for your permanent email address and having it signed by your universities and colleagues will establish someday... – Tobias Kienzler Sep 12 '12 at 09:26
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  1. As you mentioned, the postal address does not matter - but in any case, I'd lean towards the newer address!

  2. Its definitely OK to do so - I submitted my Masters thesis with my gmail.com account, due to the exact same scenario as outlined by you (currently working, am hoping to go to grad school this fall).

TCSGrad
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