Questions tagged [science]
This tag is for questions on academia specifically applicable to students, researchers, and faculty in scientific disciplines.
189
questions
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Storing scientific content on github
I have a scientific paper that I would like to protect from theft or other proprietary data, is it possible to store the data and the manuscript in a private github repository as a pre-print in order ...
19
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11
answers
4k
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Is there a specific field which addresses how to develop new software specifically for natural sciences?
I am a physicist currently doing a master's degree and I have a background in programming with a knowledge of computer science — not on the level of someone who studied computer science but I would ...
0
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1
answer
137
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What would my appropriate title be?
I'm a first year Biomedical Science student, who's currently taking a gap year. Lucky for me, I got the opportunity to help out a PhD student with her research. What would be my appropriate title? I'...
0
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1
answer
120
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What defines if a researcher is an expert in a field/topic or not? [closed]
I have often seen academics and science communicators who are positioned as subject matter experts in a field or topic but haven't been directly involved with doing research since their Ph.D. or ...
48
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9
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11k
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Advisor getting involved in semi-pseudoscience
I am a final year PhD student and recently my advisor started collaborating with some people engaged in what I would call semi-pseudoscience. For the sake of anonymity, I won't give the details but ...
0
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0
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39
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Which terms to include in glossary and/or in list of acronyms in a Master's thesis?
I'm writing a MSc thesis in Aerospace Engineering focused on a research activity about interplanetary trasfers to Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs).
I've used many acronyms that are technical terms such as ...
-4
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1
answer
136
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Scientists sets up a delayed encrypted message with a smart contract, containing a world-class discovery. Will he get Nobel prize post-mortem? [closed]
It is broadly known that sometimes it happens scientists are not well rewarded during their lives, especially when their work does not fit the modern society needs, or simply if it is well ahead of ...
37
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7
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11k
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Should I give full credit for a correct answer different from the expected one to an exam question?
I recently gave an exam that had a particular short answer question where I asked the students, "What type of reaction is this?". I was looking for neutralization reaction, as aqueous NaOH ...
3
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4
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189
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Determining Specific Contribution of an author in a Research Paper
If a paper is written by multiple authors, say in mathematics, where it is clear who did what, is there a way to find the specific contribution of an author?
For example, say a person name Paul Erdős ...
1
vote
3
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556
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Is there such a thing as a "postdoc" for master's degree graduates?
I have recently graduated with an MSc in nuclear physics, and am having a hard time finding appropriate entry-level openings for a job. I have looked at multiple openings at several national ...
0
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1
answer
78
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How do you write a good reaserch paper title?
I'm doing a paper on the medicinal properties of everyday plants but my prof. says that its too broad and I need to narrow it down. I want to start by figuring out a better title that is more ...
1
vote
2
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395
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Asking For Letters of Recommendation
I am applying for multiple internships over the summer and most of them require 2 LOR's, is it okay to ask one professor to write me a LOR for each? I am a freshman and don't have many teachers who ...
3
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1
answer
215
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Is it possible to transition back into academic research after leaving the bench for a non-research position?
My Background:
I'm a PhD Microbiologist currently in the third year of a post-doc working in a US government research lab. While I do work for the government, I'm classified as a contractor and, as ...
16
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2
answers
5k
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Is Eric Weinstein's copyright protection of Geometric Unity in the spirit of Science?
In (Dr.) Eric Weinstein's Geometric Unity: Author’s Working Draft, v 1.0 he has a footnote on the first page:
The Author is not a physicist and is no longer an active academician, but is an ...
3
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2
answers
407
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Publishing papers as a high school student
How to scientifically approach theories and research them as a high school student to get it published? (Given that the theory is not yet proven by anyone and may or may not be true).
6
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3
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317
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How to get published research covered by science magazines so as to promote the research among the community?
I am a researcher in the early stage of my career with a few publications. I work on High Energy Physics and published papers in top ranked journals with relatively high h-index. My query is regarding ...
4
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6
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644
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What academic researchers published very few scientific articles (say, less than twenty) but exerted large influences on their fields of study? [closed]
I find researchers and writers who published very little, yet were influential in their respective fields of study, interesting. A good example of such a researcher was the mathematician C. F. Gauss, ...
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4
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455
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Is it possible to accept research that contradicts several experiments? [closed]
I have research and reached logical and impressive results, but there is a problem that one of the predictions of my theory is that antimatter cannot be found on Earth and cannot be made, and this ...
3
votes
1
answer
352
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MSc thesis lacking content because of my mistake
In the final month of work before writing the thesis I found a bug in something I did a couple months before. I talked to my supervisor and we checked together that indeed something was off. I took ...
1
vote
2
answers
442
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Is it possible to follow notations/terminologies from a previously published article in a new paper without re-explaining them (in Computer Science)?
As I understood correctly, in the field of computer science, there is no "standard notation" in scientific publications for explaining various aspects of a computer system. Even though in ...
0
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0
answers
79
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Should I switch majors? How will this look on grad school application?
At the school I study at there are several majors for life sciences. I am currently in a program called Life science - origin of diseases specialization. This program is very similar to the general ...
15
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10
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8k
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Is this psychological abuse? Should I switch supervisors?
I am in the third year of my four year PhD, which is funded by the department. My supervisor a week and a half ago called a meeting with me, after an email complaining about sending off an updated ...
1
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4
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442
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Is using synthetic datasets in sciences the same as using fake data? [closed]
Sometimes, there are good reasons to use synthetic data in research. In my case I am using data from Synthea, a program that simulated patient data including medications, names and addresses. I know ...
0
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1
answer
118
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Can we include a class or mathematical representation of a class coded in Python on a research paper/case study in field of energy [closed]
I'm writing a paper based on energy optimisation by creating discharge profile based on demand. So i wrote an algo which (not the most efficient) but works great. The problem is the algorithm is based ...
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2
answers
332
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Publication costs in an obscure journal how to fund? [closed]
I am long retired (2008) In the field of cardiology I am a pariah, there is an embargo on my publishing in major journals. I have therefore been forced to go to obscure journals where the referees are ...
5
votes
1
answer
630
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What does the "C" mean in "Mater. Sci. Eng. C"
ISO4 standard naming for the "Materials Science" field is as follows:
Mater. Sci. Eng. C
Material Science & Engineering: C
What does the C mean?
79
votes
7
answers
15k
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Can I be a good scientist if I only work in working hours? [duplicate]
I am doing postdoc in developmental biology. Recently I started to leave work at the lab, meaning that I don't work at home anymore. Before I spent many hours at night (at home) analyzing my data; now ...
3
votes
2
answers
351
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Will reference letters from a researcher who does not have a Ph.D be valid?
I'm applying to Ph.D. programs in the biomedical field in the US but I have a question regarding reference letters:
Can I request a reference letter from a co-worker that has no Ph.D. (instead has ...
1
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2
answers
135
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Is it possible to create a bachelors programme that focuses on being able to read any/most scientific article?
I was thinking about whether it would be possible to create a 3/4 year bachelors programme which goal is to teach the student to be able to read any/most scientific article? If so, do you think this ...
2
votes
1
answer
117
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How important is it to cite the earliest report of something?
As a general rule I try to put in some due diligence to cite the authors who first provided strong evidence of something that I'm referencing, even if I wasn't aware of their work before I started ...
2
votes
2
answers
210
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Where do all the research paper annotations go?
Today, an increasing number of research papers are publicly available. At the same time, a community of researchers and students are reading those materials. We are highlighting, commenting, finding ...
2
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2
answers
297
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Can we add co author later? [duplicate]
Me and my friends did a project during final semester. It got accepted for publication. Later I came to abroad for studies. My friends didn’t add my name as a co author.I have given my input and it’s ...
8
votes
5
answers
592
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How do I publish the work of my elderly father, a "fringe" scientist? [duplicate]
I am trying to figure out the best way to publish my elderly father's life work. He says he would be considered a "fringe" scientist or an independent researcher. Should we self-publish? The ...
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2
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1k
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What is the formal process for a theory to get accepted by the science community? [duplicate]
Question description so that anyone can evaluate and answer accordingly
Since last many years, I have self-studied a subject that is Theoretical Physics - Cosmology, Time and Space. I have never got ...
2
votes
1
answer
245
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Reputational risk by association
A few years ago, while still an undergraduate student, I published a paper with one of my professors, who is fairly respected in his field (respiratory medicine). Several years have passed and I am no ...
4
votes
2
answers
266
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How can I convince my supervisor that I have enough data to support my findings?
I am a final-year Ph.D. candidate in a physics-oriented field. Over the course of my program, I have developed a postulate which leads to some contradictions with some of the tenets of my field, and I ...
3
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0
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138
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How to gain research experience after undergrad?
After graduating with B.Sc Computer Science last year, I got interested in compilers and kernel. I started reading research papers and finally decided to pursue masters, but most programs favour ...
3
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2
answers
163
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Should I reject a specific historic fact and not include it in my work? Advice needed on reliability of source
I'm working on a chemistry paper about the Belousov-Zhabotinsky-reaction (a chemical oscillator).
I included some information about the history of that oscillation reaction, in particular about ...
25
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2
answers
3k
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Is there a scientific field that focuses exclusively on scientific instrumentation research?
I would like to know if there is any scientific field that focuses exclusively on scientific instrumentation research? I know that each field (and sub-field) has its own instrumentation and apparatus, ...
3
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0
answers
273
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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 ...
0
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4
answers
699
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What advantage is there to getting a PhD in the life sciences when you can do research with only an MD?
During an interview recently Dr. Fauci, the top doctor in the US, called himself "a scientist, and a physician". It appears that he only has an MD, but is an immunologist and a highly cited researcher....
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5
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101
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What are the subjects that one must learn while an undergraduate to pursue an academic career in Biophysics? [closed]
I am an undergraduate student pursuing a B.Sc(Hons.) degree in Physics. I want to pursue an academic career in Biophysics. So, I wanted to know which subjects are required for higher studies in ...
2
votes
2
answers
439
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What is an academic and formal way to define variables?
I'm currently writing my IB Extended Essay in physics. I wonder how I can define variables in a formal way. I originally used a triple bar (e.g. "F≡buoyant force"). However, I'm not sure if this is ...
5
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4
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1k
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Is it harder for academics to make fundamental discoveries than in the past? [closed]
In present day academia, it seems much harder to make foundational breakthroughs than it was in the past. Most work now synthesizes previously discovered results to study something extremely specific. ...
34
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7
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13k
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Why do breakthroughs in science and research that have enormous (and obvious) potential often not (or barely) go beyond the lab?
Sometimes advances are made in science research that have enormous and very easily visible potential. There are two examples that I have seen recently.
One example is this newly engineered ...
0
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3
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851
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HiWi payment in Germany for student with international bachelor's [closed]
I am working at a German research institute as a HiWi.
HiWi jobs pay hourly wages based on the education level of the employee.
For instance there is a "without bachelors" and "with bachelors" wage.
...
0
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2
answers
121
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Reporting results that are significant even with correction, without losing my unadjusted ones?
I have a study in which I have several promising variables, all concurring with previous literature and significant at alpha=0.05.
However, I have this one variable that is of special interest and ...
1
vote
1
answer
92
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Should I publish or present in academic conferences before doing science outreach?
I have just finished fieldwork and the media and the community I’ve been working with want me to give a talk on preliminary results. Should I first present data to colleagues?
4
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2
answers
2k
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Are physics and natural sciences considered liberal arts?
I was surprised to see the description given for "liberal arts education" in Wikipedia as follows:
Liberal arts today consists of four types of areas: the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, ...
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2
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111
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What is the difference in using terms like a model, a framework, an approach, a method, a scheme in scientific research?
in scientific research, I get confused in using terms
like a model, a framework, an approach, a Method and a scheme so what is the difference between them?
when I should use each of them to express my ...