72
votes
Is there a consensus in philosophy and other humanities that PhD dissertations have to be at least 200 pages long?
The University of Minnesota library system maintaining electronic dissertations library contained 2,536 records for Phd students.
The range was incredibly variable (minimum of 21 pages, maximum of ...
- 3,599
69
votes
Is it better having a bad PhD done or having no PhD?
The fact of the matter is that, for almost all purposes, a year or two after graduation, nobody actually really cares about what the PhD was about. What they care about is that you have the formal ...
- 102k
65
votes
U.S. humanities professors: Can you get back into academia if you leave?
Speaking as humanistic social scientist at an R1 (but who has also taught at small liberal arts colleges), I would say it would be next to impossible.
There is an absolute surfeit of stellar recent ...
- 40.4k
59
votes
Must presenters in the humanities read their papers verbatim instead of summarizing/discussing them?
This is a common method in the humanities, often in a lecture hall, they also sit down which adds to the "undynamics".
I have no idea where this comes from other than from a desire to always ...
- 50.5k
54
votes
Deciding to not apply to a college that I have met with a faculty member, advice on what to do
You do not need to apply to a program just because someone is helpful any more than you need to enter into a marriage agreement with anyone who has smiled at you.
- 126k
44
votes
Journal editor made bad edits to my (accepted) paper - how do I respond?
I finally received proofs of the article, and was (more than a bit) upset at the edits.
How to respond? Do not respond while upset. Wait until you can respond in a calm way.
This is a perfectly ...
- 99.8k
39
votes
Is there a consensus in philosophy and other humanities that PhD dissertations have to be at least 200 pages long?
The answer is no, there is no such consensus.
Page number is a very poor indicator of a document's quality unlike what some people seem to believe.
Don't worry about what a blogger says, talk to ...
- 27.2k
35
votes
Accepted
Asking questions/sending note to the three authors of a paper in economics, three personalized letters?
My solution would be to send one mail. Personalization seems a wasted effort as you don't know the people, I assume. It even seems a bit presumptuous.
But put all three authors on the TO: line, not ...
- 384k
32
votes
Journal editor made bad edits to my (accepted) paper - how do I respond?
I agree with @Buffy that the changes are probably from a copy editor.
I disagree some about requesting just the minimal changes that "affect the meaning".
This is a humanities paper, so style may ...
- 37.8k
31
votes
Must presenters in the humanities read their papers verbatim instead of summarizing/discussing them?
As someone linked to the humanities as well as applied sciences, yes, it is very common for papers to be read, although the number of conferences that actually force you to read verbatim is fairly ...
- 3,915
27
votes
U.S. humanities professors: Can you get back into academia if you leave?
In what I've observed as a mathematics professor, it is common for professors to be able to take a year of unpaid leave. A typical scenario is when a professor gets an appealing job offer from a ...
- 26.3k
26
votes
No reply from PhD supervisor after meeting
Given the initial enthusiasm of the supervisor and the silence since she took my draft should I accept my proposal must be horribly wrong and must be binned.
No, that's not a reasonable inference. ...
- 134k
25
votes
Is it better having a bad PhD done or having no PhD?
Not having a doctorate will definitely affect your future in academia. It means you have few options and only poor ones at that. The doctorate should do a couple of things for you. First, its real ...
- 384k
24
votes
Accepted
How to find research topics and publish more?
You're thinking about this the wrong way; if do not have a topic you want to write about - then don't write.
I'm not being flippant: You should write and publish something if you feel it's important ...
- 39.8k
24
votes
Must presenters in the humanities read their papers verbatim instead of summarizing/discussing them?
I'm sure that this isn't a general practice, though I don't know about the specific field. I agree that listening to someone read a technical paper is boring and a waste of time.
I once had a course ...
- 384k
23
votes
Accepted
What are good reasons to write my thesis in English?
Clearly, in the time you have performing research and interacting with other people in your field, you were using at least one language, likely more than one given your research on a country that (...
- 13.9k
22
votes
Journal editor made bad edits to my (accepted) paper - how do I respond?
Write a response to the production staff that spells out which changes you'd like to revert. Feel free to use text if you can't indicate it on a PDF, e.g. "Page 2 column 1 paragraph 3, change 'write' ...
- 134k
22
votes
What do supervisors have to gain from a success or failure of a PhD student?
First, to answer the question directly, supervisors have much more to gain from successful students than unsuccessful ones. Among other things, success brings them new students and future ...
- 384k
20
votes
Deciding to not apply to a college that I have met with a faculty member, advice on what to do
It would be polite for you to send them an email thanking them for their help and letting them know that you will not be applying. There is nothing else you need to do. You may but do not need to ...
- 26.2k
17
votes
Is there such a thing as "too much overlap" with the PhD supervisor?
While I don't have similar experience, as you describe it, yes, there is too much overlap here. You don't want to be in competition with your advisor for publications.
You do, however, have a somewhat ...
- 384k
16
votes
Accepted
How to respond to peer review - a step by step guide to my first response?
Variations are possible, but I have found that the following seems to be a fairly typically form of a response to reviewers:
Begin with a letter to the handling editor and reviewers, in which you ...
- 190k
16
votes
Accepted
How do I cite an article which has been accepted pending revisions, but the revisions aren't accepted yet?
"In revision" might be a good option for some venues, say when referring to the work in a presentation.
- 4,393
16
votes
Is it better having a bad PhD done or having no PhD?
In most disciplines and most countries, a completed PhD is above all else proof that you have been successfully trained to do scientific research in a discipline, with focus on a specific subfield of ...
- 4,627
15
votes
Asking questions/sending note to the three authors of a paper in economics, three personalized letters?
Pick one author - probably the corresponding author.
If I received an email addressed to multiple authors of one of my papers - especially if it required any thinking - then it would go right to the ...
- 1,646
15
votes
M2 in France = MPhil Equivalent in US/UK?
You should name the degree exactly as it was awarded by the institution. Anything else is misconduct. Let others make "equivalence" decisions.
You can explain, but not change titles, that ...
- 384k
14
votes
What are good reasons to write my thesis in English?
I am answering your main question (what should I put on the form?), rather than the question of your title (why should I use English?).
The fact that you have to seek permission to submit in English ...
- 1,348
14
votes
Asking questions/sending note to the three authors of a paper in economics, three personalized letters?
Whatever you do, please do not send three independent emails. The reason is that if you do, then each of the three may spend time writing similar answers to your question, unaware that the others are ...
- 134k
13
votes
Accepted
How much should I refer to an anonymous reviewer's extremely helpful revisions?
An ack is all that is needed. "Thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions, many of which were very helpful". Don't try to point out where those suggestions occur or your paper will be ...
- 384k
13
votes
Job prospects for international student in the UK for an academic position in the humanities
tl;dr: You parents are right. However, it is your choice to make.
Professional job market is very competitive in the UK. If you are not a UK/EU citizen (which follows from your question), you need a ...
- 56.1k
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