I took a class this quarter that I really enjoyed and asked the professor if I could do research with them. They seem to really like me as well, and I began attending lab meetings and discussing plans for research with them before the break began. However, I believe I did poorly on the final exam for their class—not because I don’t understand the material, but due to my testing anxiety and poor test-taking skills.

I feel embarrassed, especially given how close I had gotten to the professor, and I don’t want them to think that I wouldn’t be able to handle the research or working with them. I genuinely just struggle with taking tests and am worried this might give the wrong impression about my abilities. The professor is aware that I have ADHD, and the class focuses on neurodivergence research.

I’m wondering if I should talk to the professor about my grade before asking about the next steps in research, or if I should just ignore the situation.

For context: senior undergraduate in math, who’s realized that obsessing over research questions has caused them significant stress in the past and would like to switch to a different system of motivation. For this reason, would be curious to know what your non-stress based reasons are.

For instance, is it a desire to publish more? A belief that answering the research question will transform your understanding or life? Ego?

I've published numerous papers, but this recent submission experience has been particularly frustrating. We submitted our paper in August and received the first round of reviews about 1.5 months later, which is standard in my field. The reviewers had a few minor comments, which we addressed promptly by the end of September. However, three months have passed since our response, and the paper is still under review with one of the reviewers.

I understand that peer review is a volunteer task and not compensated. But I personally always aim to complete reviews within a month. It's challenging to comprehend how some reviewers can accept assignments without completing them in a timely manner, which feels somewhat unethical to me. If you're unable to meet the required timelines, you should not accepting the review request.

I might have to give a chalk talk as part of a STEM faculty interview within the next few months. My handwriting is trash and my drawing is 1st grade level.

Anyone been in this position (STEM chalk talk (usually on a whiteboard these days though), with really bad handwriting), or have tips for improving handwriting/whiteboard drawing skills as an adult? ( Besides practicing repeatedly) I'm not sure where to even begin, but it's bad enough that I'm thinking I should start preparing... if not for a job, but for the rest of life.

.

Hello AskAcademia,

TL;DR: I am suspicious regarding an article that was accepted as I was a reviewer, should I just let it go ? lack of transparency in the reviewing process; conflict of interest involved

I was recently invited to review a manuscript submitted to a journal associated with a professional association. In the manuscript, the authors test the effects of a behavioral intervention (with commercial puproses/conflict of interests). The intervention is based on a method in which I have expertise and that is rarely used in this specific subfield.

The manuscript was honestly terrible, with several biases at different steps of the research, inappropriate statistics, and the (very positive) conclusions were barely supported by the data.

First reviewing phase:

I recommended rejection, explianing my broad concerns (which were sufficient to point out the flaws of the article for the editor to take their decision). Another reviewer accepted the manuscript without modifications and just asked one or two questions out of curiosity. The editor requested major revisions, based partly on my comments. The authors responded to my broad remarks but unfortunately the manuscript was still not suitable for publication

Second review phase:

I hesitated to withdraw from the review process but felt that I needed to be constructive and explain why the manuscript was still not sufficient and how the limitations of the methods could be avoided by future studies. I provided a more detailed review in order to point out the numerous problems point by point. My report was structured by 1) thanking the authors for modifications, 2) stating that I suggest rejection because of 3 major reasons that were briefly detailed (important for the conclusions of my story), and 3) detailing all the remarks that I had about the manuscript in what I hope was some constructive feedback.

I really wanted to be as constructive and neutral as possible, without hurting the authors' feelings. The other reviewer accepted without modifications once more. The editor asked the authors to do major revisions by integrating my comments point by point and adding a limitations section (which, in my opinion, was a fair compromise between both reviews).

Conclusion :

One month later, I receive a notification from editorial manager:

• the article has been accepted
• the responses to reviewer's comments have not been uploaded on EM, nor the modified manuscript
• I had to ask the journal manager to send me the responses to reviewer and manuscript. I was sent one small document responding to the three major reasons that introduced my long review (less than 10% of my comments). I had to send an other email again for the manuscript with visible modifications and one sentence and some p values were modified after my comments.

I am concerned because I feel like the process is not very transparent. I am even more concerned in relation to the conflicts of interests

Also, the article was accepted after the authors responded to a small part of my comments, and even if they did not need to do everything as I said, I feel like a broad response to the other remarks would have been appropriate for the editor to evaluate the changes.

What would you do ? Should I just let it go ?

Today I received reviews on my article, and one reviewer is just condescending and patronizing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a newbie, I'm the only one responsable for all the shortcomings, mistakes, and lack of knowledge in certain areas and literature. But it's the tone that got me. For example, this person suggested some books which is more than welcome, and then, he suggested a PhD dissertation in French, remarking that since he noticed I speak French (a footnote is a French book), it's unbelievable for him that I didn't cite this dissertation. I mean, seriously? Has it become a norm, at least in social sciences, that one is supposed to know every new PhD dissertation of one's field in every language one speaks? And then, he unleashed all sorts of speculation on my working ethics, professionalism, and qualifications because, well, I didn't cite these books AND that dissertation, as well as several typos (which, again, is my fault and should be criticized, but are all these borderline insults necessary). And the other reviewer has a good opinion of my paper...

And then I began to think, as someone who has worked in the academia for so many years, I actually have never encountered anyone who make critiques like that in real life. I can't speak for anyone but myself, I can't thank ChatGPT enough, because each time I finish a review now, and especially reviews on really bad article that I know I'm being harsh on the author, I ask ChatGPT to make my review "less condescending, less harsh, but still straight to the point, with no ambivalence' (English is not my first language, so sometimes what reads neutral to me may sound unpleasant in English, and sometimes I lack the vocabulary or sentence structure to make it sound less patronizing) so that the author doesn't feel like I'm attacking him.

I’m not taking these insults personally, but I begin to wonder maybe peer review for some people is just like social media: behind anonymity, let me bash all those who appear on my screen.

Anyway, enough for my whining, now get back to that dissertation I, apparently, am supposed to know..

The Chicago Manual of style doesn't have a conclusive rule on this, so I am asking people who are familiar with this style - is it common to indent the first line of paragraphs? (I have some space limit issues as well so this would help me). Also, in case the indent is common, can it be done for all paragraphs, or do first paragraphs of each section remain without indent?

Since easychair started charging for use of the platform, I think every conference in my field (Linguistics) has started using other platforms. This has me wondering if anyone here has used easy chair recently, and if so, what field you’re in. Do organizers using it raise conference fees to pay for it?

I had interview with PI for a research position ( as a visiting scholar). During interview PI mostly told about his plans and research. I agree with the salary he was offering. After we agreed, he just asked me if i had a research experience, which was in my CV. I had the experience and i answered. That was all. At the end, he said me that he should contact X university if they can pay the salary to me and he will contact me by zoom or email egain. So this is my first interview, how long should i normally wait? It has been a week today.

General question...
Is it fine to add acknowledgment of a person during a revision, given that the name was not there in the initial submission? would that be a reason for rejection?
Than you all in advance!

Basically what the title says. I submitted a paper in September 2024 and I still haven't received any answers, not even desk rejection. What should I do? I feel three months is too much.

P.S.: Linguistics field.

Hello,

I’m working on a paper “Risk of Online Identity Theft on Social Media” The study aims to explore the link between social media usage and identity theft risk.

1. Social Media Use Scale (SMUS) by Lin Wang and Chen
2. Online Identity Theft Risk Victimization Questionnaire (self-created)
3. General Cybersecurity Awareness Questionnaire (self-created)
4. Psychological Impact Scale (GAD-7 for anxiety)

I plan to use the 2nd and 3rd questionnaires with 20 items each, using a 5-point Likert scale. I’ll use a mixed approach for data collection, including offline and online surveys and case studies.

I’ll use SPSS for that Data Analysis and its significance and all.

Is it okay to create my own questionnaires for this research, or are there any issues I should be aware of? Like does it make sense?? Can someone pls help me out.

Hi all. I am applying to this job ad in linkedin and I need help. I have been job hunting for a while now, and I am quite in a desperate situation. I have been sending applications (100+) for a year and did not even get to one interview. After travelling around EU for Master and PhD I am currently living in Spain in an area with no much going on in my sector (I have a master in Conservation Biology and I did a (unfinished) PhD in plant Conservation Genomics). Shit hit the fan during Covid, the project fell apart and now I still have to complete the PhD with no data and no help from my PI, but this is another story. The job is about crop private research and it seems a very good fit for me. I have many of the requested skills, it involves travelling, which is a plus for me. It's the best chance I see in a while, and I really want to get to the interview phase. I think I am doing something wrong in the application process, and this time I must do it right. Please someone help me.

I know this is not the correct community for the admission, as mentioned in the tags. But I have a question with the current Phd students...

I have BSc MSc in Physics and a publication is coming from my master's project. I have a degree from one of the top institutes for science in India.

I have done several research project, with very renowned Prof. And have very strong reco letters (strong emphasis). My CGPA stands at just 7.7

I was working in dynamical systems and now wanted to work in data-driven sciences with a focus on control and dynamical systems, some robotics also.

After applying to many places and several rejections. I am confused, where am I wrong. Is this a question of suitability, as I am applying to program which are more inclined towards engineering sciences students? Or am I over estimating my self as to keep applying to good places. I have applied to IMPRS-IS and recently received a rejection...

Now I am re-evaluating my options to continue applying... or should I go for job or something...

I have applied to a few places in USA, probably these would be my last few applications.

To PHD Students: Was it the same for you all also...? Is changing a bit of your research interests that difficult?

Right now, I'm a very stressed and confused undergraduate student of Microbiology. Please guide me towards the right Master's Program based on my interests. I would be super grateful if the suggestions can come from professions in the field. If you have the time and patience to read this long post and offer some advise, I will be really thankful.

There are too many Master's Program offered by different universities which all seem to intersect at some point like:

• Cell and Molecular Biology

-Molecular Life Sciences -Molecular Medicine -Molecular Biosciences -Molecular Biotechnology -Molecular Biology and Evolution -Biochemistry and Molecular Biology -Molecular Cell Biology -Marine Microbiology -Microbiology -Evolution, Ecology and Systematics -Ecology, Environment and Conservation -Ecology -Ecology, Evolution and Environment

Please help me pick one of these based on my interests:

1. Molecular Biology:

From the moment I first read about central dogma in high school, I was fascinated. Studying gene expression on a deeper level in my undergraduate, I knew this was what I wanted to do. My interest ranges from Proteomics to Epigenetics. But if I have to pick one and be specific, I want to study the molecular mechanisms of cancer and apply it to cancer biology research to develop immunotherapies for cancer, especially like CAR T cell therapy for leukemia. My interest in leukemia is very personal as I lost my mother to Acute Leukemia. But I'm also aware that things don't go as smoothly as in your head and it's not a linear or path as I'm thinking right now. Research is much more nuanced and full of complexities. Me having this roadmap doesn't mean anything and it's never as simple as I'm making it sounds, I understand.

2. Cell Biology:

I had studied about organelles in school before but my first exposure to "real" cell biology was in my undergraduate where the mechanisms of Apoptosis and Cell Signalling were revealed to me. I was so intrigued, still am. With Cell Biology too, I want to understand the cellular mechanisms of cancer ranging from p53 gene and apoptosis to signalling in cancer cells and tumour cell plasticity. Basically, I want to study about proto-oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes (like the p53 gene, i love that gene so much) and how we can leverage p53 gene to develop cancer therapies. And is there any relevance in industry?

(NOTE: I understand my interests may sound childish and very surface-level with no real-life practicality or feasibility. And cancer research is extremely complex and dynamic. But it is only based on the level of studying I've done in my undergraduate, which is not an advanced course. This is also majorly why I want to choose a good master's program so I have the ability to choose a good research topic for myself in PhD.)

3. Environmental Sciences/ Environmental Microbiology:

This interest may purely be driven by emotions and my strong sense of justice but I want to contribute to the environment, give back to my Earth. But I genuinely have no idea how environment biology works on an advanced level.

I'm interested in working on Sustainable Energy and Bioremediation. But I have not studied environmental sciences in detail on an advanced level ever (not even as much as I've studied Molecular or Cell Biology). So, I'm lost on that. It's a risky field for me to dive into because I don't know the "scope" of it.

I would love to be guided on how feasible a career in environmental sciences is, and if I ever want to switch over to industry, if there is demand. I ask this because I'm not from an affluent background and I need to support myself and my parent. As much as I want to entirely devote my life to research, I also need a safety net in terms of finances.

4. Microbiology:

Given my background in microbiology, I do love microbiology but I have horrible contamination OCD so I want to stay far away from infection biology or clinical microbiology. I mention this because I interned at a Virology Lab with a clinical focus and I realised, I can't survive doing wet lab research in clinical microbiology because of my anxiety.

Although, it hurts me to part ways with my lovely microbes, I find that I'm just not interested in the clinical aspect of microbiology. I'm more interested in the ACTUAL study of microbes, like studying the metabolism of extremophiles like deep-sea microbes, the human microbiome, probiotics. Is what I want to study still profitable in the industry?

5. Immunology:

Again, my interest in immunology lies only to develop immunotherapies for cancer, like Monoclonal Antibodies, Interferons, CAR T Cell therapy.

That's all I can think of right now. As you can see, I have emphasized on my interest in Cancer Biology multiple times. My interest and desire to work on cancer probably comes from an emotionally-driven thought process and I should try to work on separating my thoughts from my emotions, I understand. It may also come off childish, I'm aware.

From each point, I would HIGHLY APPRECIATE if someone working in the same field can tell me how valid my thought process is, how feasible it is, and if it has any relevance in the industry. I ask for industrial relevance because of my need to support myself and not having a financial backup. I hope you all guide me to the right step. Thank you for reading.

UPDATE: I think maybe the way I phrased the question is wrong. I am asking to see if there is a way to speed up the masters part then go for the Psy.D smoothly if that makes sense?

I will have my BS in Psychology in May and want to work with Autism, ADHD, and neurodevelopmental disabilities. I personally am Autistic, have ADHD, and have a passion for this field. I would love to complete an accelerated path, I took over 30 credits this semester and did fine because its something that I can learn about all day. I am very passionate about it due to my personal life experience. I would eventually want my own private practice. Right now I do life coaching/consulting for ASD/ADHD in my own business. But need to be careful not to cross paths into the clinical realm due to ethics. I have some experience working under a school psychologist in private practice in Ohio - I had internship. I’m looking for a smooth path in psychology I can follow. Similar to the way nursing follows LPN to ADN-RN to MSN to Psych NP (I was originally a nursing major and switched.) I’m considering a master’s in counseling psychology that would allow me to practice independently until I complete my Psy.D. Would that be a wise way to do it? I’d like to continue with Ohio University, but I’m currently studying online and it seems they only have school counseling online or a SW degree of some sort online. If there aren’t online options, I’m fine attending in person, but I reside closer to Hilliard/Dublin and would prefer not to have to drive 2 hours away to a school. Another consideration is I love law, and would love maybe a forensic path if there is one... I didn't see one, but if anyone knows, that would be wonderful. Thank you to anyone who can help me out!

Hey all, I’m a current high school junior set on attending CU Boulder for astrophysics since I’ve heard very high praise of their program, I love astronomy/astrophysics, and it’s where my parents attended so I’ve got some history there. That history is why I’ve got this question. I really would like to settle down and live in Boulder after I’m done with college, which does include plans for a PhD and probably postdoc too for me. As such, I think it would be nice to do my PhD at Boulder if possible, but my mom (also PhD, organic chemistry) says that it is severely frowned upon to do your PhD where you did undergraduate. She did undergrad at Boulder and PhD at the University of Arkansas. If this is the case and it would hinder my job opportunities —which for an astrophysics degree is really just NASA or professorship— then I’d be okay with moving elsewhere and then moving back to Boulder, but I’m sure you can tell why it would be nice to not have to move twice just to end up in the same place.

So, is this still the case, or is it an old tradition that’s gone away in the last 20 years or so? It would also be nice to know why, if it all, it is frowned upon. My best guess would be stagnating information in the University, no new ideas being brought in because you were taught there, but that’s also not a very good explanation.

I'm interested in applying for a researcher position at institution X (which is in Japan). I would be an independent researcher with my own program, but would be embedded within a research unit run by Dr Y. The position sounds great and the interests of institution X are closely aligned with mine. However, I just found the Twitter profile of Dr Y, and it is insane. Like hardcore, anti-vax, anti-Ukraine, anti-everything, hate-filled MAGA lunacy. There is zero science content.

Although this is definitely Y's Twitter account, the content is so extreme and profilic that I'm 99% sure this is a hijacked account being run by a bot. The issue is that Dr Y is from the US so it is technically possible that this could be real. There is also a slightly surprising number of posts mentioning Japanese professors, which I wouldn't expect from a run-of-the-mill MAGA bot. Although I would be officially independent in this position, I know enough about Japanese academic to know that this is potentially not true in practice, and there is no way that I am working under a lunatic. Does anybody have any thoughts on whether I should just abandon the application or send the institution/Y an email to politely inquire if the Twitter account has been hacked? I don't have any mutual contacts with Y unfortunately.

I like to ask about the conceptual paper for the EdD.

What is expected from the conceptual paper? What is expected from the dissertation - is it expected that we generate new knowledge?

Hoping to get some advice here. Please be gentle.

A colleague overseas reached out to me asking if I wanted to co-author a manuscript. They described the topic to me as being a meta piece about the field we're in and the significance it has to various roles within it. (Keeping it vague for the sake of anonymity-- just trust that its a coherent concept for my sake).

I am a PhD student and having met this person before in a professional setting with no qualms to speak of, I eagerly agreed. There were very few inputs needed of me and for a graduate student that's obviously attractive.

They eventually send me the original abstract that the team submitted, apparently done last minute. It starts out fine, but takes a wild pivot and begins babbling about "cancel culture" and people being "offended" (albeit in wordy jargon) halfway through. Supposedly the paper itself is a sort of rhetorical response by highlighting various experiences in the field in a positive light, and a good chunk of the justification for it is more or less the "negativity" surrounding CC. It seems flimsy and I have no idea how it got accepted (by their own admission they don't either). My colleagues are from a different country, so I assumed that maybe there was misunderstanding or cultural incompetence on my part, being American.

I dug into the sources cited in the abstract and one of them is questionable to say the least. A response from a professor at a university accused of racism in-lecture. The news site its published in is definitely a bit of a rag according to media bias outlets online. Deeper dive into the story and its very clear that while some of the qualms carried by complainants might be shaky, the lecturer was a weirdo that didn't do a modicum of due diligence as an academic.

I work with racialized persons in my field frequently. I am not interested in having my name on a reactionary piece, intentional or not. How do I... follow-up on this without consequence or psychic damage on my part?

This whole thing just stinks because I'm at the point in my academic journey where there is still a lot of novelty and big feelings around publishing refereed pieces. Fuck my life.

edit: Also realizing now that what they're asking from me is so barebones that it could be done in an afternoon, which makes lying a bit... difficult. Like 2 pages, no data collection or analysis.

I work in an academic library.

There is an issue with favoritism at my institution but it’s created an issue that is effecting my work environment. We had a student worker who went on to go to library school. While they were in library school my superiors created an “internship” for them so they could keep working at the library. Over this past summer a position opened in the library that would have been a better fit for me. In the past, when this happened they gave preference to current librarians to fill vacant spots. This “intern” had not finished her MLS so was technically not qualified for the position.

My superiors were required to post the job, I applied and "interviewed" (the Dean had me come to his office and talk about why I wanted the job) but ultimately “failed” the search so they could give their favorite graduate student a “temporary” position. Essentially giving them the job. They are only on a 1 year contract but it will get renewed because they will have finished the MLS by that time. I was upset about the situation but I’ve made the best of it.

Then this coming semester they were going to take the courses I teach and reassign them to this person. So now they’ve gotten the position I should have and they are going to get my classes?! I was rightfully upset. I spoke with my supervisor and ultimately kept my courses. However, I still feel like this will be an issue again.

Another big problem is this person has spent the last 2 years “shadowing” another librarian. Their relationship is seen as inappropriate by all the other librarians and people outside of our department, but no one is willing to say anything about it. There are definitely rumors of this relationship having been going on since they were a student and this librarian was their instructor and direct supervisor.

I have thought about filing a complaint with our EO Director but I’m not sure if favoritism and inappropriate relationships are enough of a reason to do anything.

Any advice?

Lewison E.F. Spontaneous regression of breast cancer. Prog Clin Biol Res, 1977, 12, 47-53

I have searched far and wide and thought I'd see if any fellow academics have any ideas? Just hoping it is not lost to time. Thanks in advance.

If so what is the process? I would like to publish in order to increase my chances of getting a PhD, but I graduated in my MsC one year ago and cant do it through my university anymore

I am one of 2 people being considered for an asst prof position and we will have to do job talks, this is the final step before the search committee makes a decision. My question is....is the job talk an 'all or nothing' kind of thing, where everything prior to the job talk (CV, application, interview, references) no longer matter, and the job talk is the only deciding factor? Or, is the job talk just routine to make sure the person has good presentation skills, and it will be considered in totality with everything else? Or somewhere in between....? Thanks!!!

I'm working on a job application and sent it off to someone for feedback. One of their major notes for my cover letter was that it was "professional—to a fault." They wanted to read everything I had in a more "collegial" and warm tone citing that they read cover letters that are almost informal but still efficient which allows committees to see them as a future colleague and not simply an applicant.

I currently have a full-time job in academia and have served on a search committee, so I like to think my documents are okay, but I was really thrown by this feedback (which I do want to incorporate!).

Do you all have any tips or thoughts on what stands out as collegial in cover letters vs. something else? I keep looking at my cover letter over again and am just really stuck on how to approach making everything feel less clinical than it is now. (I'm in the arts, if that helps!)

Professors and others who have written recommendations for students applying to grad school: how much of a difference is there from department to department/university to university between what is asked for in a recommendation letter? Is it generally reasonable to assume that a recommendation for one program is reusable for programs at other universities in the same subject with minimal rewriting?

Hi everyone!
I’m looking for some guidance on becoming a reviewer for biology journals, specifically those in neuroscience, neurodegeneration, or cell biology.
A bit about me: I have a Master’s degree, 9 years of experience in the field, and 5 publications (not first-author). I’m interested in contributing to the peer-review process and would love to hear about journals that might consider someone with my background as a reviewer.

If you’ve been in a similar situation or have any recommendations, I’d greatly appreciate your advice!

Hey,

I am a master's student in India, and my thesis work will start in the third semester. I'm going into the second sem now. There is a lot of pressure to choose a thesis advisor and a topic for research, but I vaguely know the topic. I am interested in Semiotics; not many institutions in India offer Semiotics, but I had an elective course last semester, and I was introduced to Saussure and other thinkers like Peirce as an undergrad. In the previous semester, we focused mainly on Peircean semiotics. I have a bunch of ideas I want to explore, but I usually face the issue of reading too much or focusing on too many angles instead of concentrating on a specific one. I want to focus on how religious sacred spaces are perceived through their materials and signs and how they are interpreted through Peircean semiotics. I also want to look at the associations people make with signs and these sacred spaces — in terms of associated colours, rituals, materials, etc. After looking at how these sacred spaces are understood, I want to look at the idea of Godmen and Gurus in the country. The intention is to make these connections between sacred religious spaces, how they are interpreted, and godmen.

It is a large idea, but I don't know how to read it. I have done Peircean semiotics, but how do I go about focusing on specific readings for this research?

Please share your thoughts!

Hi everyone! I have a question about doing a PhD and research in non-theory and non-algorithm areas of Computer Science. If you're a PhD student in these fields, how much of your time is typically spent on coding or designing experiments?

I have a general idea of how research works on the theoretical side of CS (e.g., using proofs to back up results), but I’m curious about how it plays out in more applied areas.