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I have submitted one research paper in a famous Top rank conference, my main supervisor was not happy to submit because he thought it will be rejected and still needs to be improved but my co-supervisor encouraged me to submit.

So, finally I submitted the paper and my main supervisor asked me not to write his name on the paper, I requested him again but he refused. now I got positive feedback from two reviewers first one accept, and 2nd reviews was weak accept. when I told my main supervisor about it but it seems he was not happy and after 3-4 day which is very unusual , I got the third review which is weak reject and it had same comments which my main supervisor used to tell me before submitting. I doubt that he used his influence and caused the problem for my paper.

The final decision is still due but I don't have many hopes because he told me that the program chair is his very close friend.

I wanted to change the supervisor but everyone is scared of him and nobody wants any issues with him so everyone refused, even one agreed but after this incident of 3rd review he also excused and said sorry he cant supervise.

now my question is this, how and what i should do with my current supervisor? should I continue with him? or what? also do you guys advise to discuss things openly with him>

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  • Hi Kevin, welcome to the site. The format of stackexchange is a question and answer site. The way your post is written right now doesn't fit in to this format. If you can reword it so it has a specific question, then it may be more suitable.
    – Bamboo
    May 8, 2019 at 2:04
  • It's too early to worry about anything. The paper isn't accepted or rejected until you get the official acceptance or rejection. I would definitely not assume that a paper with "accept / weak accept / weak reject" will be rejected.
    – JeffE
    May 8, 2019 at 9:44
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    If you don't trust your supervisor not to interfere with the review process for your paper, you need a new supervisor. Similarly if you don't trust the conference not to reject any attempted interference from your supervisor, you need a new conference!
    – JeffE
    May 8, 2019 at 9:46
  • What is your actual question?
    – JeffE
    May 8, 2019 at 9:47
  • updated my question @JeffE
    – Kevin
    May 10, 2019 at 1:23

1 Answer 1

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Generally, it is a good idea to do what your supervisor says unless you really, really know what you're doing. In this case you have two supervisors who disagree. This is why people say that it's a good idea to avoid having co-supervisors. In any case, now you have them - the ideal solution is to get a unanimous decision from them. Maybe try to have a meeting with both present, or send an email to both, and ask for a clear decision on whether you should continue with the submission or withdraw it.

It's usually a bad idea to submit a paper that your supervisor is not on. In this case, one supervisor is on it, so it's kind of a grey area. But you say your supervisor is mad you submitted, that makes it not grey! It's hard to go far in science if you do things that make your supervisor mad.

Just because the reviewer had the same objections as your supervisor doesn't mean your supervisor influenced them. Maybe they independently recognized the same objective flaws. If you really want to get this published, I think your best option is to talk to the supportive co-supervisor, figure out how to deal with the problems, figure out how to best make a case to your unenthusiastic supervisor, then go to him and ask him to reconsider. If he won't reconsider, let it go. The benefit of the paper to you will not be more than the harm of annoying your supervisor.

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    It's usually a bad idea to submit a paper that your supervisor is not on — [citation needed] See several past questions about advisor co-authorship.
    – JeffE
    May 8, 2019 at 9:41
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    @JeffE I don't have a citation, but why on earth would you choose to not get your advisor's, well, advise on your publications? In any case, I invite any future readers to consider their own experience in their field, their lab, the papers they've read. Look at how many don't have the supervisor as an author, and feel free to make your own decision on whether it really is a good idea.
    – Trusly
    May 9, 2019 at 1:17
  • why on earth would you choose to not get your advisor's, well, advise on your publications — I never suggested that you shouldn't get your advisor's advice, but advice is not necessarily sufficient for authorship. Follow the links in my previous comment. (My comments are based on my own experience in the field, the papers I read, the papers I wrote as a student, and the papers that my PhD students have written without my co-authorship but with my advice.)
    – JeffE
    May 9, 2019 at 9:10
  • JeffE> my supervisor gave me green signal to submit a paper, only then i subitted but he said not to write his name ( i requested couple of times) but when he came to know that i got positive reviews then his egotism was hurt and he used his influence to change acceptance into rejection ( one more review)
    – Kevin
    May 10, 2019 at 1:20
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    @Kevin Find a new advisor, even if that means finding a new department. You are accusing your advisor of grossly unethical behavior. If the evidence supports your accusation, you need to get as far away from him as possible. And if it doesn’t, your distrust is going to poison your relationship anyway.
    – JeffE
    May 10, 2019 at 5:42

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