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Questions tagged [etiquette]

The customary code of polite behavior amongst the academic world.

The rules of social interactions, whether formal or informal. It can include vocal and verbal interactions, may be specific to the culture and region.

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How to handle lecturer who doesn't let me use my phone?

Inspired by another question where a user asks how to handle students with a phone, my question is from the opposite perspective: what is the correct response when a lecturer asks one to put away the phone? This actually recently happened to me (a…
SAK
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Conversation between freshman from senior high school and retired professor who suffers from Alzheimer's disease

I live at a university town where I am freshman at a senior high school. Some years ago a car steered by an inebriated driver smashed me off my bicycle and run over me. Nowadays I am a paraplegic sitting in a wheelchair. I can keep my head upright…
Thomas
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Professor to whom I broke my promise is now a collaborator. What to say?

7 years ago, I got a PhD offer from professor X. Thinking that I would have no chance with other applications, I accepted it. I signed the offer, and the HR was helping me with the enrollment process. But then I unexpectedly got another offer, and I…
sean
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Accidentally addressed lecturer as Mrs instead of Ms

I accidentally addressed my lecturer as Mrs instead of Ms in an email. Should I send a follow-up email explaining it was a typo or should I leave it be? Since requested multiple times in comments: The lecturer does not hold a doctorate or any other…
starikcetin
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As a student with questions about a paper, can I email the author myself or should I ask someone else to contact him?

I am reading a paper and have questions about the details of the procedure described. I have read other papers by the same team but they don't explain too much about that procedure anyway. I think it might be common, but my supervisor doesn't know…
user4231
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Is it appropriate to ask the professor a trick question?

I'm a CS student enrolled in a class about a certain programming language. Recently, I discovered a trick that is pretty useless in actual production code and doesn't seem to be known by many. The trick results in a program not outputting the…
User6784315
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Should I encourage foreign students to adopt local handwriting customs?

I am an American teaching in a US university, and I've noticed that many foreign students come with their own handwriting customs for writing English. In particular I've noticed that Indian students often write the letter 'x' so that it (to me,…
Anonymous
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Non-binary, more modern alternative to "Dear Sir/Madam"

I'm emailing a graduate STEM admissions department in the UK, and don't know the modern preferred way to begin the email. Many authors suggest "Dear Sir/Madam," but of course this implies a problematic gender binary. A common, gender-neutral option,…
ASDFQWERTY
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Is it ok to email my professor something I found related to class?

I just stumbled across an article directly related to what we just discussed in class. Is it appropriate to email it to my professor? For some reason it feels improper and I don't want to look like a teacher's pet.
Viki
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Is it appropriate to drop by another university's professor's lecture to talk about research afterwards?

There is a professor at a university different from the one I study in, who I like to do some research with. I emailed her and did not receive any answer even after sending a follow-up email (a week after the first email). I knew her class schedule,…
nara
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How should I manage my relationship with a sneaky academic?

I feel let down and (right now) rather upset about how I've been treated by an academic at another institution. Any tips for how I manage my (unavoidable) working relationship with him going forward? I'm a PhD Student in a small subdiscipline (only…
Shar Pie
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When do you ask a professor if a visitor can sit in on class?

There's a prospective graduate student visiting my adviser and I was asked if the student could come with me to an undergraduate class I'm taking at another college within the university. Is it acceptable for me to just show up to this class with…
pocketlizard
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Approaching a paper author who has left academia

I am a research software engineer for a behavioural science research group at a university, currently trying to help my academics with recruiting for and running psychology and economics experiments online. As part of this I have been reviewing the…
Ty Hayes
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How should I use a laptop in class without distracting others?

In science/engineering subjects, it's not yet commonplace to use a laptop or tablet in class as most people still take notes with a pen and paper. What is some good etiquette for laptop use in classes, so that I don't annoy or distract either my…
Jossie
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As a student, should I offer alternative ways of understanding a point in lectures?

Often, I’ll be in lectures and the lecturer will explain the point to me, and I make a comparison with something else that helps me understand the point, and it clicks. For example, in Syntax, the lecturer was talking about the difference between a…
Lou
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