Questions tagged [etiquette]
The customary code of polite behavior amongst the academic world.
1,596
questions
2
votes
3
answers
338
views
Specific Advice about Grad-Undergrad Friendships & Relationships (US)
I am 21/M, and I am about to start my PhD at a R-1 university in the US in two weeks (if it matters, it's a southeastern state.) A month ago, I started talking to a 19/F on an online chat platform - ...
- 1,925
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Etiquette concerning Lab Findings / Results
I'm an undergraduate and was fortunate to be selected for a 12 week summer placement in a professors lab at my university.
I worked way over and above the funded hours and made some very interesting ...
- 101
23
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Is it acceptable for a referee to suggest changing "theorem" into "proposition"?
In mathematics, it is usual to call terminal results "theorems" and intermediate results "propositions" or even "lemmas" depending on importance and place in the overarching proof. Suppose that one is ...
0
votes
1
answer
256
views
At what point does research criticism become academic hazing?
I've been collaborating on a paper with a junior colleague and a senior colleague, among others. The junior colleague is the lead writer on the paper and has done about 85-90% of the research. Junior ...
- 463
8
votes
7
answers
4k
views
How do I cite personal observations of what people generally believe about a topic?
I am trying to figure out how to cite what the general "word on the street" is regarding a certain topic within a scientific paper. As a researcher, I have noticed there are a number of ...
2
votes
0
answers
188
views
Should I correct my previous statement to a stranger after several years?
A stranger sent me an email asking for a solution and advice on a technical problem years ago. I gave him my personal opinon and solution at that time. Now, several years later, I found that some of ...
- 19.4k
1
vote
1
answer
185
views
Professor is responding to research-related emails but not reference request
I realise this is a common question, but my situation is complicated by the work-related responses without a response to my reference request. I requested a reference letter from my professor a week ...
- 99.2k
2
votes
1
answer
149
views
Is it ok to ask academic contacts if they know of any postdoc positions suitable for me?
I'm a graduating PhD student looking for academic postdocs. So far, I've tried (soft-)applying to positions I found advertised online, applying for a grant and asking my PI for help. None of this has ...
- 19.4k
2
votes
3
answers
264
views
What is the etiquette for reaching out to potential PI's in physics?
I'm an undergraduate student majoring in physics and mathematics, who is preparing to begin applying to graduate programs in physics. In doing so, I've reached out to a few people for advice, and I've ...
0
votes
1
answer
100
views
Independent guides for when to give authorship?
Are there any independent, widely-accepted codes of conducts or guides for when authorship should be given on a paper? Would be helpful to have these to refer to to avoid potential confusion or ...
- 333k
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Use of Prof title for academic moving from US to UK
In the United States, we use the title Professor or Prof. (in writing) for all faculty at the assistant, associate and full professor levels.
In the United Kingdom, we use the title only for the most ...
- 3,393
6
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Invitation to publish
A prestigious professor emailed me and requested that I submit work for publication with the renowned series that he edits.
He needs this work because it is a gap for something he is engaged with.
I ...
- 28.3k
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is it appropriate to try to contact the referee of a paper after it has been accepted and published?
I have a paper that was refereed, accepted, and published. The referee's report was overwhelming positive and enthusiastic about my paper and results.
Now that the paper is fully published, is it ...
- 3,393
87
votes
11
answers
35k
views
How can I deal with a lecturer ridiculing me in front of class for making a mistake?
I have been working in research in computer science for 3 months in the Czech Republic, and have recently changed fields to major in mathematics, also in the Czech Republic. I'm stuck with bunch of ...
- 2,074
0
votes
1
answer
98
views
Is it OK to inquire about my application status after a late application submission?
I recently encountered a situation regarding the submission of my application for a 9-month academic program. I submitted my application after the deadline by 40 minutes and now find myself ...
- 333k
192
votes
15
answers
37k
views
May a man attend a workshop entitled “Young women in [domain]”?
The Max Planck Institute for Mathematics at the University of Bonn hosts workshops such as 'Young Women in Harmonic Analysis', 'Young Women in Geometry' and 'Young Women in Mathematical Physics' ...
- 12.2k
15
votes
2
answers
17k
views
Why are the German professors addressed as Prof. Dr. XXX?
I notice that in Germany, basically all the professors are addressed as Prof. Dr. XXX, say Prof. Dr. Mueller.
However, in other parts of the world, only Prof. would be sufficient, since a non-...
- 1
1
vote
2
answers
190
views
condolence and work-related request in a single email
So my professor lost a family member a couple of weeks ago and went back home. I have not communicated with him since he announced this (in a lab meeting), work-related or otherwise, because I was ...
- 11.7k
0
votes
1
answer
164
views
Writing an appeal letter for a rejected master programme
Background:
Due to unexpected factors, I was forced to give up my offer and send applications to find another master programme. As a result, I had to submit my application files at the beginning of ...
- 30.8k
2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What steps should I take when contacting another researcher after finding possible errors in their work?
The story starts on April 2, when I found a critical mistake in a semi-famous recent applied math paper with 100 citations. I admire the paper and I find a very simple counterexample that high-...
- 487
15
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Referee for two papers by the same author: can I let them know?
I am a referee for two papers by the same author: can I acknowledge in the second report (the first was almost ready when I was invited to referee the second one) my report to the first paper?
To give ...
- 253
0
votes
2
answers
234
views
Whose Email(s) Should be Listed on Research Poster Presentations?
If I make a conference poster as a graduate student, whose email address(es) should be included in the subtitle of the poster? Traditionally, I have always thought it should just be the PI's email, ...
- 136
0
votes
3
answers
950
views
May a university lecturer wear a cap while teaching in the North American Setting?
If not, can one refer to any formal (written) prohibition of wearing caps for lecturers, in a North American university?
The cap may be text-less or have any non-offensive text/image.
- 4,815
36
votes
4
answers
9k
views
What should I do when I can’t replicate results from a conference paper?
There is a theoretical computer science paper that is published in a very good conference. The paper essentially comes up with an algorithm and an explicit function (mentioned in the paper) of some 20 ...
- 308
12
votes
7
answers
12k
views
I sent a Facebook friend request to my ex-professor, should I apologise?
Summary: after graduation, I sent my professor a friend request on Facebook, but didn't have response for a few days. I feel really bad and I really want to apologize.
I just graduated and I have ...
- 193
-1
votes
2
answers
141
views
Contact chair after VAP position ended to express interest in an RTF position?
I spent 2 years in a Visiting Assistant Professor position, which just "ended" after 4 tenure track positions were filled. I was not considered for any of them. My best guess is that I a) ...
- 87.5k
17
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Can I omit my department's name to express my dissenting opinions?
My full affiliation is:
Abacus Beard Department of Underwater Basket-Weaving, Calvin Doofus Division of Ocean Science, University of Watering-Down.
A. B. is the name of a big donor. C. D. is the ...
- 1,847
18
votes
5
answers
8k
views
May the spouse of a tenure-track candidate accompany them during their lunch with the head of the department?
In a hypothetical North American setting, assume that a tenure-track candidate whose spouse is also with them during their campus visit. Having lunch with the head of department is common for such a ...
- 41
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How much control does my advisor have if I'm on fellowship?
I'm a second year Ph.D. student in STEM and I have a lot of "clashes" with my advisor. Some are serious issues: (1) he wouldn't talk to me, the 1st author, about a project and instead met 1-...
- 10.9k
-1
votes
1
answer
405
views
Offended My Professor [closed]
Last night in class we were having a discussion about how to handle an ethical dilemma in the workplace. I raised my hand said that I had read an article that said there are few times when we would ...
- 125
5
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is it worth pointing out missed works in already published papers?
I have come across several works that omitted the citation of relevant related literature, but clearly are camera-ready versions already accepted/presented at a conference or journal.
Of course, due ...
- 25.4k
10
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Ethical standards in asking a professor for reviewing a finished manuscript and publishing it together
I have been independently working on a substantial idea. The results of my work have been compiled into a complete manuscript.
However, I think I need to have an expert in the field reviewing it to ...
- 5,416
10
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Should I send a manual email as well as an autogenerated email to potential reviewers?
I am an editor for a math journal. When I select and invite a reviewer to referee a paper the journal's management software automatically writes and sends an email invitation to that reviewer.
For a ...
- 121k
14
votes
8
answers
8k
views
Is it considered impolite to mention seeing a new city as an incentive for conference attendance?
I'm a grad student in the final term of my 2nd year. In a weekly meeting with my supervisor yesterday, I brought up an upcoming conference in our discipline. This conference is twice-annual and very ...
- 131
1
vote
1
answer
98
views
How do I pivot from a collaboration with some professors on a project I am not particularly invested in to one lying more in my area of interest?
I am a graduate student who is currently working on a project with another student and some professors which will soon lead to the publication of a paper with my name on it. As someone who would like ...
- 1,807
12
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How to deal with incommunicable co-author
The background: In the grand area of Mathematics in which I do research, there is a famous Professor, let us call him 'A', who started a joint project with another younger colleague, let
us call him '...
- 41k
-2
votes
1
answer
411
views
Is it appropriate for a teacher to make a sex analogy related to physics?
My physics professor was talking about the companion forces that act on an object with molecules interacting with one another and Newton's 3rd law canceling out the internal forces. Then he said ...
- 99.2k
28
votes
9
answers
4k
views
What is the de facto standard while writing equation in a short email to professors?
In a research field that math is frequently used, while sending a long note/paper, attaching a pdf is of course the best. But for a short email that only involves few equations, a pdf file might be ...
2
votes
2
answers
122
views
Where to include acknowledgements for used graphics
In the current technical report that I write, I have used graphic from an online-source where their policy requires that the author of the drawing has to be acknowledged in case that the drawing is to ...
- 3,036
116
votes
11
answers
40k
views
One of my postdocs elegantly solved a problem another postdoc had been working on for years. I have no idea how to navigate this delicate situation
I run a lab in an applied computational field (e.g. computational biology/chemistry/physics etc.)
One of my postdocs (“A”) has been working on a problem for the last two years. They have made good ...
- 1,381
13
votes
11
answers
5k
views
(When) Is it appropriate to give a "thank you" gifts to a professor who is not your advisor or teacher?
As a grad student (or postdoc), past taking classes, is it ok to get a thank you gift for a professor who :
has helped you with something (e.g. introduced you to someone for a collaboration or wrote ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
73
views
How to approach my MSc advisor that I may want to apply for another PhD program?
I am doing a research-based master's degree at a university, and my advisor was asking me "if I want to do a Ph.D." when I was starting and I said yes. For some reason, he assumed that I'd ...
- 1,130
0
votes
1
answer
234
views
Could I ask an ex-advisor to show me the letter of recommendation he wrote for me?
Is it possible to ask somebody who wrote me a letter of recommendation to show me the letter? or is it impolite in academia? - The letter is a requirement to participate in a top networking conference ...
- 5,659
24
votes
9
answers
16k
views
Can a professor tell you that you can’t use your phone before or after their class?
So, I have this one professor who refuses to let anyone use their phone. I understand this during class hours but now he’s saying he will give a demerit to anyone using their phone even if it’s before ...
- 62.5k
36
votes
10
answers
12k
views
Is it appropriate for professors to use the f*** word during lectures?
This has happened a few times. The university is an average, good university in UK. One professor said lately "I'm so sick of this f****** pandemic." Another time another lecturer said "...
- 62.5k
19
votes
9
answers
62k
views
By what title should I greet assistant and associate professors in emails and letters?
By what title should I greet assistant and associate professors in emails and letters? I study in the UK and for post-doctorands up to senior lectures one uses "Dear Dr. X", but for professors one ...
- 62.5k
2
votes
3
answers
423
views
Is it socially appropriate to ring up a professor whom you have corresponded with briefly by email?
A couple of weeks back I sent an email to a professor in a University in my home country with whom I have never known on any personal or professional level. My intention was to seek potential ...
- 62.5k
4
votes
1
answer
684
views
Email netiquette for telling thesis committee member I've replaced
I'm a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the social sciences.
I've decided to replace one person in my doctoral thesis committee because she is not giving me any feedback or responding to my emails in ...
- 123
0
votes
1
answer
138
views
Handling alternate spellings of a personal name
Dealing with a text that mentions several times the architectural historian Siegfried Giedion. A number of Giedion's books feature his first name as "Sigfried" and others as "Siegfried.&...
- 18k
4
votes
4
answers
939
views
How do I avoid answering too many questions?
Often in class, professors will ask questions to the class. Usually, I'll at least think I know the answer to the question, so naturally I want to answer it.
The problem is that my hand shouldn't ...
- 1,483