Academia Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
142
votes
13 answers

Is declining an undergraduate award which causes me discomfort appropriate?

I have been offered an award to be presented to me at my graduation this summer at an English university. The award is not for academic achievement per se. It's for gaining my science degree despite having suffered significant illness at a crucial…
James1810
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141
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13 answers

Why is my mood dictated so much by how well my research is going?

I'm a senior PhD student at an American university. I have found over the course of my degree that my mood has largely been influenced by how well my research is going. If I make a small break-through then I feel great - conversely, if I am…
Erik M
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140
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9 answers

Will ISIS attacks hurt my PhD application as a Muslim?

I'm a dedicated person, very passionate about physics and pursuing my PhD at a good school is crucial to my life. I've been preparing my application documents for a while now. GPA is almost 4 and Physics GRE is 980. My general GRE is at the 97…
MMa
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140
votes
7 answers

Choice of personal pronoun in single-author papers

Which personal pronoun is appropriate in single-author papers - 'I' or 'we'? Could the use of 'I' be considered egotistical? Or will the use of 'we' be considered to be grammatically incorrect?
Bravo
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140
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17 answers

Need help with students who've turned my class into a dating service

I'm a professor at a local university. I'm passionate about teaching, and am proud to teach 100-level science and mathematics courses to young and aspiring students. Some senior engineering students created a sort of dating service/app, "How I Met…
Ana
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139
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22 answers

Should I simply ignore it if authors assume that I'm male in their response to my review of their article?

I received a response about a manuscript I reviewed earlier, and the authors write about the reviewer (i.e., me) and his concerns. As a woman, I'm not so keen on this. Obviously this isn't intentionally insulting or anything like that---it's a…
Rebecca J. Stones
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139
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10 answers

I slept with my advisor's daughter and she is blackmailing me now. What can I do?

I am doing a PhD in the US. I am in my mid-twenties and will graduate next spring. My advisor was very good and nice to me. He invited me to have dinner at his home many times and then I met his daughter. I did not realize at the beginning but she…
anon
138
votes
4 answers

How hard do early-career academics in the United States work, really?

I'm finishing a PhD in Sweden this year and seeking a post-doc in the United States (atmospheric remote sensing). It is clear that a job in academia is not a nine to five job; nor do I want it to be. I often work late in the evening when I'm on a…
gerrit
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137
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20 answers

Useful strategies for answering "dumb" questions in a talk?

It has often been said that there is no such thing as a dumb question. And yet - perhaps due only to inattention, lack of sleep, or hunger - otherwise brilliant people sometimes manage to ask some pretty inane questions during talks. ("Yes, but how…
Dnuorg Spu
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136
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16 answers

What to do about "grade grubbers?"

An annoying aspect of working with a "strict" grading system (e.g., 90%+ = A, 85% = A-, 80% = B+, etc.) is what I call the "grade grubbing" phenomenon: the people who feel compelled to raise complaints about the grading because they didn't get the…
aeismail
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136
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14 answers

Is there a place in academia for someone who compulsively solves every problem on their own?

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I'm still in grad school. I've been researching under one professor's wing for two years now, ostensibly shooting for a PhD (note: no topic yet), and I have accomplished nothing except write a lot of code,…
Obvious Throwaway
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134
votes
11 answers

Can leaked nude pictures damage one's academic career?

I have an ex who has posted nude photos of me online in the past, linked to my online social media, and posted my full name and where I live. I am concerned he may do so again once he finds out I'm now in a PhD program (he's very jealous of any…
P. Lombert
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134
votes
18 answers

Why do most people think it's a bad idea to read from slides?

As many of you probably know, almost all advice regarding doing better academic talks includes universal advice to not put too many words in any one slide, and to not read straight from slides (this is always thought to be a sign of a bad talk). I…
Lentes
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134
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15 answers

Two years into my PhD program, and Mom is dying of cancer. Should I tell my advisor about it?

I just finished my 2nd year of PhD, and my mom has been dying of cancer since the end of my 1st year. She nearly died in January but thankfully pulled through. She was just diagnosed again a few weeks ago and her prognosis is not good (resistant to…
anon
134
votes
17 answers

What's the point of PhD theses if nobody reads them?

At best, the PhD thesis is read by: The author The examiners The supervisor The author's parents The author's roommate / spouse / fellow students in research group Or less than 10 people in total. What, then, is the point of writing it? Writing a…
Allure
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