64
votes
Am I making a mistake by going to a "mid-tier" program?
Reality check:
First, "mid tier" schools by a reasonable definition are very good. And most of them have faculty that are there for reasons other than they can't be at a "top tier" ...
- 258k
59
votes
Accepted
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
Congrats! I wish more people would be excited about being a reviewer.
Personally, I would only say the journal's name (e.g., TheAwesomeJournal). For example:
Yay! Just got invited to be a reviewer ...
- 11.3k
53
votes
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
Please do not share the email, that would be unprofessional.
Many journals take great care in deciding what information about their internal operations to make public, and which details to keep ...
- 168k
36
votes
Accepted
How to answer rhetorical questions
Usually, the professors ask, ", right?" or other questions which very clearly seem to be rhetorical. If no one says anything for a few moments, they'll move on with the lecture as if nothing ...
- 64.1k
25
votes
A jerk is becoming a professor, should I alert their faculty?
I doubt you will succeed in stopping A's appointment at A's university. You would however do considerable harm to yourself. First, for a non-psychologist, non-therapist, non-psychiatrist to make a ...
- 1,624
22
votes
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
It is fine, and they are not likely to look on it in those ways you say.
But they are likely to think it is a waste of time, unless you also have something else to say that is more interesting, for ...
- 775
19
votes
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
No you should not share the email although it would probably not do too much harm if enough details are removed. It is best not to share the journal name either.
A review is anonymous and should stay ...
- 10.1k
17
votes
Am I making a mistake by going to a "mid-tier" program?
If your goal is not academia focused, pedigree matters very little. As long as your program is accredited and produces publishable research, you will be fine.
I have many contacts in government ...
- 18.4k
14
votes
How to answer rhetorical questions
This is just me, but I would interpret the "rhetorical" question as an expression of the professor being unsure whether the students understood whatever the professor was explaining. The ...
- 34k
14
votes
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
It's not really appropriate to thank them for citing you, which is something they are obliged to do if your work is relevant and shouldn't do if it is not.
What may be appropriate is to thank them for ...
- 555
11
votes
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
I don't think it is a question of ethics, but would be weird.
Can it be looked upon like you’re trying to gain ...
- 11.3k
8
votes
Am I making a mistake by going to a "mid-tier" program?
Feeling comfortable and happy through your program will be a key to your success so if you like the university and advisor where you have been accepted, I suspect that will be the best spot for you to ...
- 493
7
votes
How to answer rhetorical questions
If a professor wants a particular type of response to particular types of phrasings or non-verbal cues, that professor needs to communicate their expectations clearly.
In other words: it's not your ...
- 1,643
7
votes
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
As others have said, do not include anything other than the journal's name.
But if I may offer a - perhaps somewhat controversial - opinion, depending on your field and personality: It's okay and even ...
- 367
6
votes
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
If I were the editor and you posted my email, with or without my name, without my permission, that would be the last time I would ever have any kind of professional contact with you. I would be ...
- 1,797
6
votes
A jerk is becoming a professor, should I alert their faculty?
I recently found out that A is becoming a professor at another (better ranked) school. Is there anything that anyone can do at this stage to prevent a jerk from becoming a prof?
No. Once the ...
- 85.1k
5
votes
Accepted
How do I avoid answering too many questions?
I just wanted to address one point:
On the other hand, I worry that if I don't raise my hand, my professors will think that I don't know the answer, I haven't read the material, or I haven't thought ...
- 566
4
votes
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
There is an elephant in the room, and I feel you are not addressing it.
The citation in itself has no intrinsic intellectual value. You may be flattered that your person has been cited—but in reality ...
- 5,349
4
votes
How do I avoid answering too many questions?
It is the professor's responsibility to manage the class including who they call on to answer. There really isn't an issue about trying too hard. I answered a lot of questions, but I also asked a lot ...
- 258k
4
votes
Am I making a mistake by going to a "mid-tier" program?
The best students in "mid-tier" programs publish more than the average student in the most prestigious programs. There are many factors that help explain this.
Happiness - being below ...
- 10.1k
2
votes
How to answer rhetorical questions
Questions in lectures may also mean "Could you follow me?" or "Please ask if you hadn't this in other lectures so I can repeat the basics". Professors also need to know if they are ...
- 3,174
2
votes
How to deal with my PhD supervisors rudely critiquing all my draft papers?
Frankly, your writing needs to improve AND your PhD advisors are jerks.
Incoming graduate students are incapable of writing acceptable (let alone good) scientific papers (and that's not their fault). ...
- 21
1
vote
Is it ethical to privately thank authors when you discover they’ve cited your work?
I strongly advise against this.
There seems to be this fallacy that everything in academia is ''ethical'' or ''not ethical'' and that's all that matters (similar to the fallacy of people learning a ...
- 2,335
1
vote
I just got invited to referee an article! Is it OK to share this achievement on social media?
A possible way of understanding better whether this is something to tweet about, and in which way you might want to do that, is to try to twitter search function, to see if other people post about ...
- 5,608
1
vote
How to answer rhetorical questions
It could also be the case that the professor reads from their own several year old lecture notes in which their younger self omitted the actual argument because they found it trivial at that time. Now ...
1
vote
How to answer rhetorical questions
If the body language of a professor suggests that they are waiting for a response, and if they are staring intensely at a specific student, that would suggest that perhaps the question is not intended ...
- 43.6k
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