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definition commitment beta
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The requirements for progressing from definition to commitment are warped

may 23 '14 at 0:11 Robert Cartaino 473

discuss this proposal

61 Example Questions (9 closed)

active newest votes
up vote 24 down vote
I would like to do research on <argument>. Where can I find research groups working on it?
added by Stefano Borini, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 6 '10 at 18:59
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intended on topic – Stefano Borini Aug 5 '10 at 8:47
@Stefano Borini: what are some examples of "<argument>"? – WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 6 '10 at 19:00
1  
@Peter : I can speak for my discipline, computational chemistry. <argument> would be: theoretical development, non-linear optics, catalysis, electron transport. Eventually it can be more general for still non-specialized people (e.g. biochemistry, high-energy particle physics, weather and climate) – Stefano Borini Aug 6 '10 at 19:51
@Stefano: I suggest you edit the question and replace "topic" for "argument". – CesarGon Jan 27 '11 at 23:57
up vote 24 down vote
What are the differences in expectations between a PhD program in the United Kingdom and a PhD program in the US/Canada?
added by Wesley Burr Aug 6 '10 at 0:26
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up vote 21 down vote
Is there an external (in [area] or online) agency I can get to review my PhD for correct grammar, spelling, etc.?
added by Wikis, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 6 '10 at 18:49
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3  
This is on topic. Apparently, one would say that it's a task for translators or proofreaders, but working on a specialized Ph.D thesis involves skills and terms that are generally outside of the typical translation agency. – Stefano Borini Aug 5 '10 at 13:57
@Mark Robinson: (edit, ref irosetta.com/questions/451.) – WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 6 '10 at 19:01
@Peter - thanks - here's that what did you change I can't see the revision question again - was it etc? to etc.? – Wikis Aug 6 '10 at 20:28
@Peter- never mind, I found it here: area51.stackexchange.com/posts/16657/revisions (it was what I posted, thanks) – Wikis Aug 6 '10 at 20:29
up vote 20 down vote
What is the visa process for a 1 year postdoc application in USA?
added by Stefano Borini, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:23
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Not a good example: too localised to be representative of this site, and you'd find the answer faster (and it'd be more reliable) by asking the appropriate department rather than asking people here. – CesarGon Jan 27 '11 at 23:59
up vote 20 down vote
I'm studying the field of <topic>. What conferences should I attend/submit papers to?
added by eykanal Sep 14 '10 at 14:34
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conference-rec? Offtopic! – badp Jan 28 '11 at 17:01
up vote 16 down vote
As a married university student with a newborn baby, are there any additional grants available for people in my situation?
added by Luke Aug 5 '10 at 9:45
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2  
Not a good example, because this is highly dependent on your country and even region within country. – CesarGon Jan 27 '11 at 23:48
up vote 15 down vote
For what do administrators look when evaluating applications for tenure-track faculty positions?
added by ESultanik Dec 1 '10 at 15:39
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Not a good example: that would vary depending on the criteria. It is frequent that criteria are set by staff recruitment boards or other governing bodies. These criteria are usually publicised with the position call. There is no universal answer to this question. – CesarGon Jan 28 '11 at 0:00
up vote 13 down vote
I have a PhD in [field] and want to start my own program at a school that doesn't currently offer [field]. How should I approach the administrators?
added by Adam Davis Oct 21 '10 at 14:21
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up vote 11 down vote
Where can I find information about grants and loans in [country name]?
added by matto1990 Aug 8 '10 at 11:35
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If you mean research grants, I suggest you edit the question to make it explicit. – CesarGon Jan 28 '11 at 0:01
@CesarGon Why, would student loans be off-topic? – badp Jan 28 '11 at 17:05
1  
@badp: Not at all; in that case, make it explicit as well. But loans in general are off-topic, definitely. – CesarGon Jan 30 '11 at 0:15
up vote 8 down vote
How do I tell my (professor/adviser/lab mates) no, when they ask me to pick up some extra responsibility without offending / seeming uninterested?
added by JustJohn, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:16
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up vote 8 down vote
Is there software available to help me keep my archive of papers and citations organized?
added by PulpSpy Jan 13 '11 at 18:36
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up vote 7 down vote
I am currently in an office job, but would like to shift to scientific research. Where do I start learning how to critically read a journal paper?
added by Kit Jan 11 '11 at 9:44
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up vote 6 down vote
How do you go about requesting data behind a paper? What are the underlying social norms?
added by Christian Dec 17 '10 at 17:12
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up vote 6 down vote
How important is "reproducible research" in computer science? How can I best organize my research from the start so it is reproducible?
added by saar drimer, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:12
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up vote 5 down vote
I'd like to do research in [research area/geographical region/taxonomic group]. What are the big questions people are working on in this area?
added by Gaurav Aug 19 '10 at 8:34
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up vote 4 down vote
Can you please clarify the rules for Marie Curie IEF when it comes to relocation?
added by Stefano Borini Aug 5 '10 at 8:49
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up vote 4 down vote
What is the historical acceptance rate for [conference]?
added by ESultanik Dec 1 '10 at 15:41
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Excellent on-topic question. I don't understand the three off-topic votes. – Charles Stewart Jan 13 '11 at 17:34
@Charles: I think you can get an answer faster by checking with the conference organisers or proceedings. – CesarGon Jan 28 '11 at 0:03
up vote 4 down vote
Do scientists actually subscribe to several journals, or just a handful; and all else is through an institutional subscription?
added by Kit Dec 3 '10 at 16:46
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up vote 3 down vote
I'm really interested in [research area]. What courses should I take in college so I can study this?
added by Gaurav Aug 18 '10 at 17:38
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up vote 3 down vote
I'm really interested in [very specific research area]. Which programs are particularly good in this area? [closed]
added by Gaurav Aug 18 '10 at 17:41
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closed as off topic by Matt, Ryan Berger, Edgar, blueberryfields, Dori Dec 12 '10 at 2:15

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Excellent off-topic question. This may be the penultimate "opinion-baiting" question, as even respected ranking programs come under heavy methodological criticism and accusations of bias. – Matt Aug 18 '10 at 21:05
@Matt I don't think it's off topic. It's on-topic, but as you say, it is opinion based due to the "good" part, although quality can be quantified numerically (with group size/number of papers... ok we are opening a can of worms, but still). As such, it should probably be community wiki. – Stefano Borini Aug 18 '10 at 21:36
3  
It's definitely a worth-while question, but I don't think it meets the "something that isn't discussed but can just be answered" mantra of these stackexchange sites. The quality of a program, and opinion of them, is very subjective. I would be genuinely surprised if a poll of a bunch of professors didn't show 20% or fewer suggesting programs could be ranked in an honestly objective fashion. Even if they could, I have more than a sneaking suspicion the responses will be a collection of "mine is good" or "my recent collaborator's is good" answers. – Matt Aug 20 '10 at 4:51
up vote 3 down vote
How should the "first contact" be with a potential PhD advisor?
added by Matias Valdenegro, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:12
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up vote 3 down vote
[Conference name] has not submitted its proceedings to the IEEE as it said it would. What recourse do I have?
added by Brian Ballsun-Stanton Jan 12 '11 at 4:12
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up vote 2 down vote
In computer science, are journal papers really worth the effort if I'm not interested in an academic career?
added by saar drimer, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:10
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up vote 2 down vote
I am applying to graduate school. At this period, how do I keep up with the latest research, considering the high cost of journal subscriptions?
added by Kit Jan 11 '11 at 9:41
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up vote 2 down vote
A paper I am reading makes reference to a full version that seems non-existant. How do I approach requesting to see it.
added by PulpSpy Jan 13 '11 at 18:42
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up vote 2 down vote
To help with application to graduate school, what are the ways I can get more (published) research experience after my undergraduate studies?
added by Kit Jan 14 '11 at 8:30
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up vote 2 down vote
In your thesis, how do you properly cite a software package that you used but that is not published in a scientific journal?
added by brupp Feb 8 '11 at 14:27
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up vote 1 down vote
What housing services does <institute> provide for a temporary stay?
added by Stefano Borini, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Aug 6 '10 at 18:58
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intended on topic – Stefano Borini Aug 5 '10 at 8:46
1  
I'd prefer to see questions like this more along the lines of: "What temporary housing opportunities exist near <institute>?" In this case, the question asks for local/specialized knowledge not necessarily available from the institution, rather than info that will ultimately be copy-and-pasted by someone from the institution's web site. Particularly on a site targeted at researchers and academics, at least the appearance of due diligence should be a prerequisite. – Matt Aug 18 '10 at 20:59
Bad example: ask the institute, don't ask here. – CesarGon Jan 27 '11 at 23:51
up vote 1 down vote
What to do about a paper whose experiments are not reproducible?
added by nimcap, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:13
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up vote 1 down vote
I've been offered a great job at a large company. I'm struggling with deciding whether I could finish the dissertation "on the side". Any advice?
added by saar drimer Jan 10 '11 at 17:56
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up vote 1 down vote
How is access to university regulated in the UK?
added by badp Jan 28 '11 at 16:57
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up vote 1 down vote
How can I convert my [Cambridge FIRST score] in a TOEFL score?
added by badp Jan 28 '11 at 16:58
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up vote 1 down vote
I want to take an Erasmus. How should I choose my "guest" university?
added by badp Jan 28 '11 at 16:58
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up vote 1 down vote
In my PhD should I first aim for a low-impact/low-risk paper and only then move to a more risky project?
added by brupp Feb 5 '11 at 21:11
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up vote 0 down vote
Where do the students hang out in [town]? [closed]
added by Wikis Aug 5 '10 at 13:44
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closed as off topic by ripper234, Mechko, Midhat, stff00, runexe Oct 7 '10 at 15:01

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

As per my comment on the proposal above, this should be an on topic question on my proposal – Mechko Aug 10 '10 at 0:10
I really like this question, but they're right: it's far too general as is. What about something like "Where can [research area] students do in [town]"? For instance, I know there's a ton of places in Singapore where students with an interest in ecology/evolution can provide guided tours for visitors. – Gaurav Aug 18 '10 at 18:55
@Gaurav - thanks. The point of the question is to show that you don't want socialising questions on this Q&A (if you don't). That is, it helps define the border. – Wikis Aug 18 '10 at 19:56
up vote 0 down vote
Help! I need to defend my thesis in a few weeks. What tips do you have? [closed]
added by Wikis Aug 31 '10 at 18:30
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closed as off topic by Stefano Borini, Ryan Berger, Piotr Migdal, Edgar, blueberryfields Dec 8 '10 at 22:12

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 0 down vote
How do you organize your references: do you read PDF files onscreen or print them and highlight by pen?
added by brupp, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:20
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This seems to be two separate questions, one about organizing references (which I take to mean Endnote, RefMan, BibDesk, Papers (for Mac), etc.), and reading papers. I would split it into two questions. – eykanal Sep 14 '10 at 14:29
This is off-topic: it's about tools for document management, not about academia. – CesarGon Jan 27 '11 at 23:50
I wanted to put the emphasis more on physical versus virtual papers. Some people prefer a stack of (real) papers with some post-it notes, others organize them in a cabinet sorted by author or topic, others put pdfs in folder structures and yet another group lets the computer do the organising (by using one of the proposed reference managers). – brupp Feb 5 '11 at 19:05
up vote 0 down vote
As a first-year graduate student researching <topic>, what's the best way to quickly get up to speed in my field? [closed]
added by eykanal Sep 14 '10 at 14:28
link

closed as off topic by Giacomo Verticale, Dr_bitz, Maniero, Tangurena, Mark Rogers Jan 13 '11 at 19:43

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 0 down vote
Is it better to go straight from Bachelors into the Master's program, or to get work experience first, then come back for the Master's?
added by Adam Davis, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Jan 20 '11 at 17:18
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up vote 0 down vote
To which journal should I submit my paper on [topic T, problem P, ...]?
added by Anthony Labarre Dec 23 '10 at 15:47
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may be on topic imho – Stefano Borini Jan 30 '11 at 1:36
1  
This question to me is too narrow. If it were expanded to "What considerations should I make when deciding what journal to send my paper too", that would be of more general interest to the community. – Andy W Feb 1 '11 at 13:40
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