Questions tagged [communication]
Questions about how to communicate with others appropriately and professionally; communication etiquette.
292
questions
46
votes
7answers
4k views
Telling a former supervisor you don't want to publish
I graduated from my PhD in the middle of last year and have since landed a full time job in industry. Currently I'm pretty ran off my feet with work, but I'm also enjoying having free time at weekends ...
30
votes
4answers
11k views
How can I politely tell a student that I already support him several times and that is enough?
I have a student who sends me emails twice a week showing me his updated dissertation. At first I supported him a lot. But he literally does what I say word by word and never goes beyond what I tell ...
8
votes
4answers
2k views
How do I ask professors to give feedback on my online articles that are based on their work?
I am working on a website that contains a list of free courses. My aim is to promote our field (semidefinite programming).
Each course consists of a number of articles.
Each article is built using ...
37
votes
11answers
14k views
Was my student being disrespectful by using shouting language in her email to me?
I have a PhD in statistics and teach statistics for humanities students in a university. One week before the start of the semester I posted all the required information regarding the course textbook, ...
5
votes
2answers
232 views
Fighting for academic fairness: My authorship is unaffected but my PhD advisor pushed up authorship of a co-author at the expense of other co-authors
I’m Nick, a postdoc currently working on publication of my PhD work. There are several authors on the paper - two former graduate students as co-first authors (myself and Aubrey), followed by five ...
29
votes
5answers
10k views
How should I address my two supervisors (one man, one woman) in an email?
I am currently doing a PhD. My professor, which is my first supervisor, is a man. My second supervisor is a woman and works for my first supervisor. The etiquette and the courtesy, at least in my ...
2
votes
2answers
94 views
Is it okay to change advisors in the same university between Masters and PhD?
I have almost finished my master's in Computer Science the only reason that I don't want to directly continue with a PhD is my advisor and co-advisor. I was left out during almost all my master's ...
4
votes
3answers
279 views
What's a polite way of confirming if a position offered is official?
I'm an undergrad student, and I intend to start assisting a senior PhD student with her research work. I'm really interested in the work (definitely don't want to let go of this opportunity), but I'm ...
76
votes
10answers
12k views
I found an error in my exam that caused me to lose time on other questions, resulting in a lower grade. How can I appeal?
I'm a student in college, and while I was taking a linear algebra exam, I noticed that there was a mistake in the last exercise. Our exam is composed of two parts: multiple questions and exercises. ...
7
votes
1answer
357 views
Are fear and concerns stemmed from being sexual assaulted generally understandable by grad schools? Would it be seen as a negative trait?
I am a victim of sexual assault and I need to talk to the school (in the US) about it for accommodation reasons. I feel if I don't disclose enough I may not be able to get the accommodation, yet I don'...
1
vote
0answers
74 views
Do I need to be in a constant touch with the community to get the admissions?
I just completed my masters degree. Some of my seniors are constantly advising me to "increase" my touch with the academic community. They say that this increases the chances of getting the ...
1
vote
1answer
95 views
overlapping grant/fellowship ideas for postdoc positions
I'm a PhD student in social science, currently preparing for grant or fellowship applications with two PIs. Specifically, I'll apply for a postdoctoral fellowship with PI #1 and co-write a research ...
3
votes
2answers
157 views
It it appropriate to request a letter of recommendation via LinkedIn?
I had a professor who told me during the year that he'd be happy to write me a letter of recommendation for a research degree I was contemplating applying to. I've since decided to apply.
My ...
-2
votes
1answer
228 views
How would most professors feel and/or react if they recognized that a post here (or on any similar forum) was about them? [closed]
Obviously, the purpose of this forum is to ask questions relating to academia, but I've been wondering how most professors would feel if they recognized that a post was about them (assuming that the ...
2
votes
3answers
623 views
A professor invited me to their seminar when I enquired about working on a master thesis with them: did they reject me?
I am a master student. In the next year I need to start my work on master thesis. I have sent letters to two professors in the same group, stating my interest, and have asked if they have a suitable ...
-1
votes
1answer
133 views
How could one build connections with professors at a potential graduate program? [duplicate]
I emailed the director of a graduate program I'm planning on applying to, and while the program isn't accepting a new cohort of students until next year, they suggested that I reach out to other ...
6
votes
2answers
326 views
How to say “I'm not interested” in a polite way?
I'm a PhD student, sending cold emails to potential PIs for postdoc positions these days.
I sent an email to this one PI that I've been interested in and asked him about the possibility of joining his ...
-4
votes
1answer
254 views
Should I email the program director of a department after being referred to them by another professor/potential advisor?
A couple of weeks ago, I emailed a professor (at a different university) about becoming my graduate advisor. While they didn't explicitly agree to do so (the program isn't accepting new students until ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
PhDs in the UK: should you know supervisor beforehand?
(context: undergrad/integrated masters student in a math-related field, planning on a PhD in a CS-related field)
In Asia (at least in India and Singapore), students are generally expected to ...
4
votes
3answers
681 views
How do I reply to a professor whether I accept his postdoc. offer?
I have been applying for postdoc positions recently. Yesterday I got an offer from one professor, but I didn't reply to him whether I accept it or not. The reason is that I am waiting for another ...
24
votes
5answers
6k views
How can I deal with a professor who refuses to communicate?
Required information: Germany, maths, and undergraduate
Situation: In order to finish my undergraduate degree, I have to do one final oral exam with two professors (A & B). However, A and B refuse ...
22
votes
7answers
5k views
Is it fine to exclude an email salutation for short messages?
I've had a habit of always starting with "Dear Prof. X" but have noticed professors sometimes drop the header past the first reply. For shorter emails, is it polite to omit these formalities ...
3
votes
1answer
276 views
Communication difficulties with advisors - starting to impede work
I could use some advice about my relationship with my doctoral advisors. Some context:
I'm about 1 year and 8 months into my PhD.
My program has relatively heavy course requirements. I have now ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Advisor not responding to emails, conference fee deadline approaching
TL;DR:: My advisor, who is in charge of paying a conference paper registration fee, is nonresponsive and the deadline is approaching. What can I do?
I am working part-time in a research institute, ...
4
votes
1answer
474 views
Advice for a hypersensitive postdoc who has a hard time reading social cues and making small talk [closed]
Sorry to bother everyone, I am currently a postdoc at a research institution. I have trouble in my scientific collaborations/discussions because I am hypersensitive to (get easily offended at) ...
5
votes
2answers
796 views
Getting no responses from professor and being worried about my future
I decided to pursue a PhD degree after a few years in industry, so I contacted a professor from the university where I had received my Diploma 3 years back. We had some conversations in the beginning ...
3
votes
0answers
57 views
Reputable alternatives to The Conversation for science communication? [closed]
What are some popular press alternatives to The Conversation that are perhaps more reputable than Medium or HuffPost that accept pitches from academics communicating their research for a general ...
4
votes
2answers
182 views
How do I go about making a program suggestion to my department chair as a graduate student?
For context, I am a graduate student in my academic department — agricultural economics. I wanted to bring up the idea to the Department Chair that introducing some applications like JupyterLab, ...
0
votes
1answer
163 views
Heavy imposter syndrome [duplicate]
What are best ways/resources to deal with imposter syndrome or runaway thoughts? I recently published a paper (only my 2nd first author) and was excited about it for about 2 mins before I got very bad ...
2
votes
4answers
271 views
How do I decline a PhD offer by my master's thesis supervisor?
So I'm currently finishing up my master's thesis and my supervisor seems to be happy with my work. The subject of PhD came up a couple of times during meetings and while I did say that I think it ...
0
votes
1answer
105 views
Should I thank professor for forwarding me webinar/seminar invites
I work in the research group of one of the professors in my college. My professor keeps forwarding mails which he receives regarding some webinars/seminars being organized in college/companies or ...
6
votes
1answer
318 views
How to progress as PhD student with nonchalant supervisor
I'm a PhD student who has been enrolled in my program since the beginning of 2017. I took a half year break in mid 2018 for personal reasons. My supervisor is an Assoc. Prof in our department and has ...
2
votes
1answer
141 views
Potential Change of Supervisor: Who to talk to first?
I am considering trying a change of PhD supervisors.
While I do get along with my current ones as humans (they are nice to me), I feel like this is not the case academically. Our interests don't ...
2
votes
1answer
147 views
Do I have to inform a graduate program that just admitted me about my attendance to a different program?
I have received acceptance from a graduate program physician assistant. I have already been attending this semester a different program. I want to withdraw and attend the other program. Do i have to ...
9
votes
6answers
884 views
Having trouble responding to professors' emails due to anxiety,
I have crippling anxiety around "authority figures", and I'm irrationally deathly afraid to the point where I will cry in a room when alone with them, likely due to my upbringing, namely, always being ...
0
votes
1answer
178 views
How can I begin to gain credibility within the scientific community without a degree?
I'm working on a fairly extensive multidisciplinary research project - something a bit outside the purview of what would even be difficult for a respected field researcher to publish.
That being said,...
24
votes
7answers
6k views
I expect much more commitment from my PhD-supervisor. How do I communicate this to him?
I am a doctoral student in economics and have problems with the progress of my doctoral thesis because my supervisor hardly cares about my work.
I currently need some feedback and comments from him, ...
4
votes
3answers
284 views
How to cope with YouTube and use it as an aid for effective teaching
YouTube rules the roost. It is first resource that people refer to when they want to learn something new. After all, who would teach me how to replace a RAM on my laptop or to change the new ...
37
votes
8answers
7k views
Is it fine to send a message to the author of a paper if I don't understand something and want to clarify it?
I'm a Physics Ph.D. student and I have been studying one paper and had some doubt in one point. More specifically the author defines a concept in a way which is a little bit different from other texts ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Informative article about physics and quote on “physicists don't care about precise numbers, they care about trends” [closed]
I am writing an informative article about physics for the general public, and I was wondering if there is any quote by some famous physicist on the concept that usually physicist care about ...
1
vote
2answers
120 views
Changing interests after joining grad school
I joined graduate school in the US with interests in theoretical chemistry/chemical physics. Though I was enrolled for a PhD in chemistry, I was taking classes in physics for an entire year. This made ...
17
votes
3answers
5k views
How to address having been plagiarized by senior scholars without ruining the relationship
I recently came across a book written by two senior scholars in my field (anthropology), who cite a paper I published with a colleague two years ago. They cite us quite favorably and in most places ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
What do you say to a professor/potential advisor when you accept the offer from their school?
Is it common to contact professors you've been in communication with to let them know that you're accepting their school's offer? Do you usually contact the professors that met with you on a campus ...
4
votes
1answer
566 views
Coronavirus, school lockdown and future uncertainty [closed]
I am a master student expected to graduate in April. I want to work as an R/A for my thesis advisor after graduation and want to do a PhD afterwards. However, the entire school is closed and I cannot ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
How can I handle group projects?
I'm a grad student and have been assigned to a group with several other students. This is a semester long group that will work on various projects. From the start, this group has been a disaster. I ...
-1
votes
1answer
103 views
Asking about how to say to a possible supervisor to give me some time as I look for funding opportunities
I am a masters student in mathematics at an Asian University and I mailed my CV to some professors in France for phd position in analytic number theory.
One of the professors said that his university ...
2
votes
2answers
755 views
how to congratulate for professors's grant achievements?
I recently got the news that my prof and his colleagues were got many grants/funding.
Is it common to write him a congratulation?
I prepared this simple sentences, how should I wish him more ...
1
vote
1answer
181 views
How to Ask for a Shift in Graduate Assistantship from Research to Teaching?
I am a graduate student in NYC and would like to learn how to ask my advisor and my professor to shift from research assistantship to teaching?
I have been working on a research project for one ...
5
votes
3answers
512 views
How to salvage a paper when the lead author gave up publishing it and refuses to communicate
I am a postdoc, and some time ago a professor in my department introduced me to her research assistant to work together on something related to their project I was not part of. I was interested ...
4
votes
2answers
350 views
Is it okay to request to do a reading project with a professor at a later time if he had politely denied it before?
I was planning to do a reading project with a professor in my institute and had asked him in the last semester whether it would be possible for me to do it under his guidance. However he had politely ...
