I'm an academic at a Scandinavian institution. I've done some postdocs in the US, I have some very close friends there and I absolutely love visiting and taking holidays. However, I am saddened with the election of Trump, who I consider a fascist.

In Europe we are imposing sanctions and stopping grant schemes to collaborate with Russia and China, and rightfully so. So should we also stop collaborating with the US? I've cancelled a conference in the spring but I am still making up my mind as to other collaborations.

Hello everyone,

I need some advice here.

I finished a PhD in Linguistics in Brazil three years ago and have worked as a high school teacher ever since. This year I decided to pursue a second PhD in the US. My experience as a teacher made me interested in learning and I researched opportunities in Psychology and Educational Psychology. I also want to work in Higher Education, focus on research, publishing etc., but it is difficult to find positions in Brazil.

I am about to submit applications for the US, but I have just been offered a post-doc position in linguistics in Brazil, where I will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, advise master’s and doctoral students, conduct my own research. I will also receive a 6 to 10 months funding to do part of the post doc abroad.

I don't really know what to do now. The post doc position would allow me to build a career in higher education, and I enjoy linguistics. The US opportunity, though, would allow me transition into a new area, and maybe open doors for an international career. I have a good chance of being accepted into a top-tier university too. What do you think I should take into account?

Hey everyone! 👋

I’m building a research paper assistant tool that combines AI with features to make writing and organizing papers easier. t’s a research paper assistant tool—kind of like Overleaf, but with some AI-powered features that could make the whole process faster and easier.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

Plain English to LaTeX: Type simple commands (e.g., “add a section called ‘Introduction’”) and have it automatically turn into LaTeX code, also generate literature survey on the basis of the papers that you have read and even citations

• Workspaces: Organize and track all the papers you’ve read/annotated, with personalized recommendations.
• Collaboration: Work with co-researchers, share drafts, and track edits.

I’m curious:

1. Would something like this be useful in your research?
2. Any features you’d love to see?
3. What are the biggest pain points when reading/writing papers that you think should be solved?

Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks! 😊

This is now the second time our manuscript has been rejected, after multiple rounds of review. I received the latest rejection last night, capping off an already challenging week, and it’s frustrating given the commitment and energy academia demands. This manuscript has now been through three rounds of review. The research was conducted back in 2022, and here we are, approaching 2025. Our team consists of five R1 academics (full and TT) with deep expertise in our respective fields—a true “dream team”—and our contributions to this research are significant.

The reviewer proposed two options for moving forward, but both would have led to poor scientific practices. So, instead, we further justified the work using literature.

It feels unfair, almost unjust, and the worst part is that there’s little recourse. The inefficiencies and lack of accountability in academia can be staggering. It seems like no one has the power to address or even acknowledge these issues.

So, I’d like to ask: Has anyone here ever pushed back against a journal rejection? Or is doing so considered career suicide?

Hey, everyone. I recently started my PhD, and while it’s been deeply fulfilling, it’s also come with some serious, unexpected challenges. I love research, teaching, and connecting with my field—I can see myself in academia long-term, possibly writing and consulting in my area. But ironically, the environment itself is making that vision hard to maintain.

The main building where I work has been under construction, delayed by a year, with at least another year and a half to go. Even with a mask, the dust is overwhelming. It clings to my clothes and triggers allergies that leave me sick every time I’m there. I’ve asked departments for information on air quality measures—especially for asbestos, mold, and lead, given that this is the oldest building on campus. But they only provide vague assurances and no real evidence or solutions. They seemed completely thrown off that this could be happening to people despite the photos of dust clouds blanketing students.

Living on antihistamines helps me function, but it doesn’t break the cycle of constant reaction and recovery, leaving me drained and struggling to manage basic household and self-care tasks.

Food options on campus are also minimal for anyone with dietary restrictions. Most days, I have to leave campus to find something safe to eat—even when departments cater events, they rarely consider allergies, despite knowing there are multiple people in similar situations. Just this week they bought “donuts to dry your tears” overlooking the halal restrictions and gluten allergies that many of us have in the department but I guess support is only for those who are “normal”. (My experience running weekly events for years in a previous university job taught me how easy it is to accommodate a range of allergies on a budget, so this feels frustratingly avoidable in a much better food city.)

Despite all of this, I truly enjoy engaging with students and colleagues and want to build a supportive community in academia. We were displaced due to a wildfire the week of the orientation and it was clear they weren’t going to give support from the start so to be successful I’ve stocked my desk with meds, food, clothes, and other supplies to stay prepared and go out of my way to create dynamic assignments, organize department communication channels, and support others. I feel like I thrive in these environments generally but the lack of institutional support is draining. Raising concerns or asking about accessibility for important meetings often leads to non-responses, reprimands, or reminders that “accommodations are for academics; other issues are up to you.”

For example, when I asked for grading flexibility due to illness, I was told, “If you can’t do it, we’ll find someone else.” After speaking candidly about my experience in a department roundtable, I received an email reminding us to “avoid being unduly negative” and that we’re “privileged to be here.”

Meanwhile, the main classrooms are consistently over 80°F, and the fluorescent lights are a trigger when I’m already in a flare and others who report getting headaches. Not able to wait for a solution, I’ve added my own fan and lamp to improve conditions and wear sunglasses, but it’s exhausting to spend so much energy on basic functionality. And mine and others’ maintenance requests have been ignored for weeks, so now my classroom self accommodations have become shared resources for others, while the administration’s message continues to be, “deal with it or leave.”

These aren’t isolated incidents. During my master’s program, my building had severe mold issues. Despite student efforts to address it, the administration dismissed it as “just water damage” and put up a fake wall. I still have the photos a student in the construction management program sent me, raising his concerns. The result? Many of us, myself included, were sick from the air quality. Again, the burden was on us to adapt or leave.

In my experience, it seems people in higher ed tend to normalize these issues instead of addressing them. They’ll take allergy meds every day rather than question why the building itself is making them sick. Then once the issue is discovered, it takes weeks or months of pushing for someone (the dean’s office in my case) to finally clean its carpets for the first time in five years or double down.

Here’s where I guess I need advice: I’m someone who gets through despite challenges with sheer determination but I’m starting to feel pushed out of academia—not because of my work but because my health can’t tolerate these spaces any more, and I’m baffled how much effort institutions will spend avoiding root causes. I’m not sure I can do it and took off and neglected to do anything this week because of the email that was sent out was so upsetting.

Before the email, I was determined to stick it out in this PhD program until the construction finishes (which is less realistic by the day), and now I’m wondering if I look for a new one and visit it thoroughly, or consider that academia has deep-seated issues around valuing and including people and find a different path forward?

I don’t want to give it up. My goal has always been to provide mentorship and counterbalance outdated perspectives, just as my mentors did for me as a first-generation student. I want to help others navigate these dynamics. But while some in my current department acknowledge academia’s history of exclusion, few assist in navigating it—and most actively contribute to it.

I have VA benefits, a great home support system, and a deep dedication to my work that I thought would make me successful. I don’t want a fully virtual PhD, since my online certificates lacked the meaningful engagement of in-person programs. But building issues seem pervasive even at major institutions with public health programs.

Has anyone faced and overcome similar frustrations? Did it get better?

I’d appreciate any insights or advice. Thank you for reading—I guess I needed to partly vent too.

I've been having certain issues in undergrad which I won't devolve into to keep the description brief, but as faculty what gripes in undergrad are omens that a person would hate being faculty?

Hi! I don't know if this is weird question to this place and feel free to redirect me to right place if this isn't it. I started studies in the university over a year ago but getting friends that are interested at the same thing is hard to find. I feel like I have most in common with the researchers of my faculty but it would probably be weird to try befriend people that are over 10 years older than me :D. I was thinking if internet would be better place to me to find friends that are interested in academics, research and studying but I don't really know where to go. I really like to talk deep topics and science but I don't have anyone to talk with right now... And well, I'm planning to go for an exchange study, it would be fun to find people from the universities that I consider but that's not necessary :D

I have a few queries please..how long would it take to mark one and I also wonder my one has two markers. How do they agree on the mark. And is that it . No one gives a third opinion?. Many thanks

For context, I'm a recent graduate (July) applying for a job that requires my transcript of records. Our university issues transcripts two months after graduation if all requirements are met. My instructor announced we could start submitting our thesis for review and bookbinding (one of the requirements) on the same month (September). I submitted mine right away.

The job application process is long, and although the deadline had passed, I was given extra time to submit my transcript. I followed up online with my instructor but got no response. After a month, I spoke to him personally, and he tried to speed up the process.

Yesterday was the last day to submit, and while my thesis was ready for bookbinding, the process would take three days, making me three days late. I explained my situation to the registrar office, as they told me that I'm taking care of it late. I told them my thesis was pending from September to October. I got the chance to do the following requirements for three weeks but told them that I underwent a medical examination and can't do it everyday (it is far away from home and I need to stay for almost a month, only had the chance to go home once or twice a week) that's why I was three days late.

The current officer in charge of the registrar told me to seek help from the dean's office. I signed a promissory letter, got the dean's signature, and submitted it to the necessary offices. I was eventually given my transcript.

That night, my instructor messaged me saying I discredited him at the registrar office. Apparently, the official officer in charge who wasn't there called him out. He also said the registrar office denied advising me to seek help from the dean. Now I’m unsure whom to trust, and I feel bad because they both accuse me of lying. My former instructor expressed how he regretted helping me and I feel terrible because I really appreciated it. I didn't mean to pinpoint him but I was just explaining my circumstance to the registrar office.

Hi guys I’m currently a student and have had a lot of coursework this semester. I usually have 8-10 pages of work plus 180 pages a week to read for my classes. I am dedicated to my career and love academia, but lately my motivation and productivity has been going down the drain. I’m also working on a 30 page paper for a journal and once I hit the 20 page mark my motivation disappeared. I was wondering how you all get yourselves out of these funks. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone!

My colleague and I have been working hard on a research paper, and we're eager to publish it on ArXiv to share our findings with the community. Unfortunately, we discovered that we need an endorsement from an established ArXiv user before we can proceed with the submission.

If any of you are able to provide an endorsement or point us in the right direction, we’d be extremely grateful! This is an important step for us, and any help would mean a lot. Thank you in advance!

Hello! Im a current sophomore in Biology as of right now. The track i am aimed towards is medical: anesthesia focused. Im struggling with choosing what I want to do as I have had this goal set for over 7 years now. I took a classical literature class and fell in love, i started thinking about become a classics professor however im struggling to just abandon medicine. I enjoy it and its hard but attainable so im not just giving up because its a struggle. I genuinely enjoy the classics and architecture and art: most things humanities. I was thinking about double majoring in classical literature continuing to medical school, residency and then becomes a doctor. Once that's completed I thought i could get my masters and PHD in classics to become a professor. Is this too unreasonable? Its a long road but i feel like i can commit. I dont want to give up either but in the long run money is a huge factor to me. Can anyone give their thoughts? Classical literature professors can you talk me into why you love your job? Whats your salary like? I dont really find an assistant prof position desirable: how hard is it to get a full time professor position? Idk: i just need some outside thoughts besides my own and my councilors.

Yesterday, I found out some news about someone that graduated with me, and I was fuming.

I finished my PhD in THEOLOGY—this is important for the story.

Several months ago, I found out that someone in my year started dating the Head of School in my divinity school. They’re both older—I think the head of school is around 50 and she just turned 40. They were both married with 3 kids each—sketchy with the timing of their divorces as to whether this was an affair or they started dating after their respective relationships were over. Lots of people in the divinity school were upset with the head of school because it just looks bad—both professionally and because he calls himself a Christian.

Well I just graduated with the woman, and we were both apart of a fellowship in which we individually have a £20,000 grant to carry out a research project.

Only, yesterday, I found out that she dropped out of our fellowship because her and her head-of-school boyfriend got a much larger grant to work on. It honestly infuriates me. He is a senior theologian who already has a few decades of experience and has raked in a $2 mil grant with this funder before. Now he’s doing it with his newly minted girlfriend and her career will be set. In any other scenario, there is no way in which she would have this opportunity.

Meanwhile all the rest of us are struggling to get a job in a terrible job market, and she’s sleeping her way to the top.

I know I should maybe just be happy for her or whatever but I’ve been applying for jobs for two years to no avail and feeling absolutely miserable about my prospects. The comparison is too much.

I finished my PhD in January and am currently looking for an academic job. I’m doing a part time administrative job at my university which makes next to nothing, and then I’ve got a small grant to do a one-year research project as part of a fellowship.

I’ve been applying to more permanent academic positions for close to two years now, and it feels so hopeless. Between how sad my bank account looks at nearly 30, the bleakness of the job search, and having moved to a different county to pursue academia away from my family, I feel so depressed. I drink more than I should, and I hate it because I know that’s also a waste of money. I just don’t know to have hope for the future in this job market, and I feel like I have almost no transferable skills that would be worth anything in a competitive market.

Hi guys, looking for advice here. I'm currently earning my PhD and working through my dissertation. In order to make my work more valuable for the real world, I was hoping to publish an online course. I'm looking mostly at Coursera and Udemy, but am very open to other sites. Coursera is tricky, because they need to approve of partnering with my university, and it certainly doesn't compare with Harvard and its peers. So, I'm currently looking at Udemy, since I know for sure I can get it published there.

For those who have been through the process of publishing courses, did you find this elevated your CV? Do employers look down on publishing on Udemy, versus Coursera or other online course sites? If you've been on the hiring side, would you value an applicant that has a digital course, or is this along the same lines as self-publication?

The link may require you to be on campus with library access to read

https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-far-does-your-pay-go

I had a campus interview 3 week ago and last week my 2 out 3 references were called last week. 3 finalist were selected for campus interview and I was the first one. How long should I wait to ask chair for any update about the position?

Also is it common to contact to references at different days and just to contact 2 out of 3?

Recently I submitted to a Q2 journal. The decision come to a minor revision. Most of the comment, is just asking for a specific citation for the reviewer's paper. I got two reviewer and both of them ask it.

My colleague suggested to report them to the editor-in-chief via comment to editor.

I have no issue in including the suggested reference because their paper is relevant to my paper.

Should I report it? Will it affect my publishing career in the long-term?

Hi all. I am an independent researcher in animal ethics and human animal interactions (mostly focusing on dogs). My mentor and I are independent researchers. My mentor has done masters in Anthrozoology while I have not.

Considering this background, how easy or difficult is it to get published in peer reviewed journals without the affiliation with an educational institution?

Assuming we have the skills to write a paper and also topic(s) that we want to write about, what is the process for us to get published?

Looking forward to any suggestions and advice you might have for me as an independent researcher.

This post was locked by moderators with no explanation: https://www.reddit.com/r/academia/comments/1glwksx/are_there_any_academics_who_voted_for_trump_why/?share_id=v9xbW2WQEekDlEJofB6kh&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&utm_source=share&utm_term=4&sort=controversial
Going out on a limb here to publicly ask the moderators why it was locked?

As a non-Trump voter myself, I thought it asked an interesting question very relevant to academia, and the tone of the 195 comments was not hostile or aggressive. I was interested to engage in the conversation as well, but couldn't because it's locked.

Hi! I got currently accepted for an undergrad research internship at my university. I am currently a CS junior. This means the next semester and the next Summer/Fall I do research for them for around 20 hours a week (In the summer maybe 40). They require me to pick an advisor and I have 2 who are willing to take me on.

But I don’t know which one to choose at all. One of them has a lot more citations than the other and went to a very prestigious university. But I don’t know how much that would matter as an undergrad researcher.

I plan to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in the future, thank you!

Currently going through review process at a top tier journal, now on revision number 4 and responding to reviewers. One reviewer has consistently wanted paper rewritten to their ideas, not the focus of paper. Looking for a journal to submit another paper (same discipline) and not inclined to go back to that top tier journal. Do editors realise that reviewers can be a turn off for their journals (as in won’t submit there, won’t read articles)?

I am a first-year PhD student. While studying for an exam (I know this might sound weird, especially at the PhD level, but yes, I have a class with an upcoming exam, just like undergrad), my supervisor told me to stop worrying about my grades. He said I should focus more on my research, conferences, articles, etc., rather than my grades, as long as I don't fail anything.
I find this perspective interesting and wanted to know what others think about it.

What do you think about that?

Hi everyone! I'm a grad student currently working on my first research paper, which involves a fair amount of graduate-level mathematics, both applied and pure. Since it’s my first time publishing, I'm aware that my first draft will likely need a lot of improvement. I have some friends who are fantastic writers and willing to help me proofread, but they’re not particularly interested in math.

To make it easier, I’m planning to print a rough draft along with a separate document that explains my methods and provides a breakdown of the math for reference. This way, they can skip the formulas in the main draft and refer to my notes when needed.

That got me wondering—does anyone know of any software that can automatically scroll both documents in sync, so the notes stay aligned with the main content as they read? Thanks in advance!

Note: I've heard of synchronized scrolling where each page corresponds 1-to-1 (page 1 is next to page 1, page 5 next to page 5). But what I'm looking for requires varying scroll speeds. What if page 5 of my notes is all I have for pages 4-8 in my draft? Then, page 5 should stay until user scrolls past page 8.

Again, I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. Cheers

How will the new regime affect academia?

One big fear I have is, of course, student loan forgiveness and income-based repayment. A lot of what Biden did, like pausing repayment, was by executive order, which can be suspended at the stroke of a pen; the rest can easily be put through a Republican-controlled Congress. Project 2025 also calls for elimination of public loans in favor of private loans.

Likewise, the Department of Education (if it still exists) will likely stop its oversight of for-profit colleges. There has been talk of returning accreditation "to the states."

Title IX will no doubt be suspended, and the NCAA pressured to strictly police gender in women's sports.

Vance has called for a tax on endowments and has been in favor of banning all affirmative action. There has been some discussion of a disruptive online "national university."

Beyond that, I can easily see a Trump Education Department campus trying to stop "wokeism" and putting constraints on what can be researched and taught, at risk of suspending Federal funds and even accreditation. This would include not only race and gender studies, but also things like climate change. The Fascists in Italy were, I believe, the first to make academics take loyalty oaths...

Inside Higher Ed articles: (1) (2)

NEA Today article

After a MS, a PhD and a postdoc, I’m now out of academia - I have been for close to three years now.

My position doesn’t really allow me to keep up with literature the same way I used to.

But I’m still receiving some requests for reviews - about once a month I’d say? - and even one recently from a journal I haven’t reviewed for in the past. I accept some of them, even though as you all know it’s a lot of work. Because of the above, I tend to focus on technical aspects - whether the methodology is sound, if the results justify the authors claims, etc.

I receive those through my personal or my professional email - so it should be clear I’m no longer academically active.

At what point does it become unreasonable or a disservice to the community to keep providing reviews, because I’m “out of the game”? And how should I let journals know?

I'm curious if there are any academics who voted for Trump? Why? What might be the benefits or advantages of having the Trump administration for academics over Kamala for science and research specifically? By statistics, I'm sure there are many academics who voted for Trump because he wins the electoral and popular votes this time around.

I know there are a lot of threads discussing the disadvantages, but I am curious about the advantages or any point of view that I haven't heard before. Please don't downvote genuine answers from people with whom we disagree!

I am an undergraduate student at a very strong university for history. I'm well-read (for my age), have made great connections with professors, and am well on track to pursue further education. Going further to get my PHD, learning more, and publishing work in history has been my dream for a long time. However, I have not yet committed to this and am wondering if it's worth it. While yes, it is my dream, I will not commit to something I know will not work out—I do have a long-term relationship that I will need to provide for soon. I love to work, but mainly because I like to results from that work. I read horror stories and hear from some of my very own professors that sometimes you can go to the right school and do everything right and still end up in debt, out in the middle of nowhere, making very little money, and overall just not happy. I know I will not get some magic answer, but I just wanted to ask in general if you believe that someone who still has a lot of options open should continue into this profession.

PS I do not know how much this will affect it, I am at school internationally and will go for my PHD in the US. I think I have seen a few things about how Trump's election affects grants and such, but I am not certain of how that specifically affects this, if you wanted to enlighten this for me, that'd be helpful as well.

Edit: I did just look at a post explaining how Trump will affect funding so I think I'm good on this :(

Thank you!