I’m applying to assistant professor jobs and have my first fly-out coming up. I recently read a blog saying I should NOT wear a backpack and should use a messenger bag. I found this a little surprising since most faculty I know in my field use backpacks, but they often get to stash those in an office and not carry around the backpack.

As some notes, I am ABD so maybe this is a situation where I should be doing whatever I can to look more like a “faculty member” and less like a grad student. But if I get taken on a campus tour with a messenger bag, I may be fiddling with it a bit (zero upper body strength). I appreciate any insight into this!

As the kids say these days. So my employer just announced voluntary early retirement program for some of the faculty, many expect similar announcements for the rest shortly. I’m currently part of the unaffected faculty, on tenure track, nowhere near the age of voluntary early retirement. Anyone at an institution that went through something like this? Any thoughts as to what might be in store for me/the school in the future? TIA for your thoughts.

I've never had any prof who talked directly like people communicate in corporate. What's wrong with you all?

So i’m thinking about starting college 24 male full time job. I want to get into computer technology information (2 year associate) to be a software analyst, but could reconsider to networking. i’m torn on to go to community college or do online. My community college only has 22% graduation rate the next closest is 45% while the online college im considering has a 75% graduation rate but people tell me community is way easier. to be honest im not that smart of a guy and had a lot of trouble in school so cheating just a bit would be ideal but i know i will have to put almost all the work in. also really really struggle with math.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what happened to a paper I found and cited about a year ago.

While working on the related work section of my research paper, I found a paper on Google Scholar that was directly related to my research. There weren't many closely related papers available, so I read it and included it in my references using the BibTeX citation provided by Google Scholar.

I remember that the paper looked a little suspicious, but I genuinely believed it was a real publication because I found it on Google Scholar and read it myself.

Now, my own paper has been published, and I recently tried to find that reference again. To my surprise, I can't find the paper on Google Scholar anymore. I also checked the accepted papers listed on the conference website, but the paper wasn't there. So far, I haven't been able to locate it elsewhere.

One possible way to investigate this is to check my Google search history from that period. I've already requested my Google history data, but retrieving and going through it will take some time.

Unfortunately, I'm also using a different laptop now, so I don't currently have access to the downloaded papers from my old machine.

This situation is worrying because the reference is already in my published paper. I'm concerned that the paper might have been fabricated or AI-generated, although I have no evidence to establish that this is what happened. To be clear, I did not use AI to generate this reference, I found the paper on Google Scholar and read it myself.

I want to establish what actually happened before drawing any conclusions. In the meantime, I thought it might be useful to ask the community whether others have encountered this problem and whether there are additional ways to investigate it.

Thank you for any suggestions or experiences you can share.

Hi, I'm a master student in psychology and doing a thesis, qualitative study using an assessment tool to analyze semi-directed interviews, the tool is in english , it has been translated in a few languages but not in mine, and I was wondering if I could just translate the interview and then just using the tool in english or if I really have to go through the process of translating the tool ? Thanks for the help

Hi, this is maybe a really dumb question but for my Master internship (France, Physical Chemistry) I was tasked with doing lit research on my topic to find a research gap (basically just finding out if two precursors we want to use have been used together previously).

When I look for articles mentioning both in Google Scholar, I find multiple pages of articles, just from this year alone. My professor said to rather use SciFinder and with the same query I get around 50 results.

I wanted to ask why is that? Does SciFinder pick just the "better" articles? Does Google Scholar return results for one OR the other OR both and not just the combination?

I´m just worried I will miss something during the lit research through SciFinder, since the results seem more sparse.

Thanks for any insight!

Hi everyone,

I'm a U.S. grad student who TAs an "easy A" introductory lab in my discipline. The labs are totally separate from lecture, so I present mini-lectures, lead activities, and grade my section on my own. The class is designed by my department. Although the content itself is easy, the lectures and assignments are sometimes confusing and oddly structured. So, I try to make my directions as clear as possible, and I often demo the technical tasks. Most of the students perform well on assignments.

I am visibly autistic. Others have told me it's apparent from my voice, tendency to trail off, and stimming/mannerisms. I'm self-conscious about it and it feels like a massive elephant in the room. When I trip up during lecture (which is often) I short-circuit, freeze, or feel my throat constrict. I communicate well with the students one-on-one; I think I'm warm and helpful. I honestly enjoy working with small groups during the post-lecture activities.

My supervisor is okay with me because I'm good at the things she sees (answering emails, scheduling makeup labs, posting grades, sending the students reminders, etc.). I don't know if she knows how I am during lectures.

Are there any visibly autistic professors or TAs who can share their experience? "Masking" is not really a possibility for me. How do you cope with freezing in front of the class? How do you tell whether you're genuinely incompetent or not?

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am hoping some of you who have been through this (or know the process well) can give me a reality check.

I am coming to the end of my PhD in management and I am wondering whether it is worth applying for the Global Talent visa under the Exceptional Promise route. I honestly cannot tell if my profile is strong enough or if I would be wasting my time.
Here is where I am at:

Two papers in 4* journals (the top ones in my field)
A book chapter

A special issue proposal that has been accepted

Two commentaries, also accepted - 3* journals

My supervisor has said they are happy to write me a reference, and I am now trying to find a second person.

Does this sound like enough for an endorsement? I would especially love to hear from anyone who applied at a similar early-career stage, whether it worked out or not. Any tips would also be really appreciated.

Thank you so much!

Presenting a poster in Vienna next month, my first international conference and the first time I've presented anywhere outside my own department... so yes, I'm overdoing it.

Two printed copies of the poster (one rolled in a tube as a backup), the PDF on a flash drive + in my email + in the cloud, and a 3 minute pitch I've practiced on my labmates so many times they mouth it along with me.

What I haven't figured out is the networking part. Coffee breaks especially, I don't want to corner anyone but I also don't want to spend three days standing next to my own poster. Advice from people who've done a few of these is very welcome, I'll take anything at this point

I did an undergraduate research project and here are my thoughts, seeking advice from more experienced ppl here. I sought a nice prof for the project, who allocated me a mentor. One look and I could tell the mentor wasnt the nicest, but it was certainly better than my previous mentor who threw me to another mentor which threw me to another mentor who told me to clean glassware. Whenever I asked my mentor qns, she would say read the literature. But come on, so many literature how to know which to read? Anyway, I just nodded. I didnt even know what was my research project about until halfway thru, when I asked for a sample of what the report, which the mentor said will send but never sent. Anyway, since i needed to do something about my OWN project, I sent the mentor my rough report, which the mentor simply glanced through. Fine. I guess im alone in this. But like I said, it is my own project so I am really trying to understand it inside out. I sought help from the prof who said the mentor will help you. But whenever I ask the mentor qns, the mentor is so scary, and im literally swallowing saliva as I talk to her. I've never experienced such a scary person before, neither can I report to prof who will side their permanent research staff compared to an undergraduate like me. I also cannot confide in my fellow undergraduate research mates since i know their mentor also scolds them. Anyone experienced this too? In a few weeks time, i have to give a presentation to external profs, and im hoping i will be fine. Is phd even worse? Maybe i shd just enter the workforce after my undergraduate so I dont need to deal with such shenanigans but I know workplace also has its cons like office politics.

Will they fire her? Or will no one care? I’m not asking about Sabatini cuz we already saw his outcome: working in Prague while living in Boston and no one in USA will hire him

https://nypost.com/2026/10/18/us-news/former-mit-scientist-david-sabatini-wins-6m-defamation-verdict-over-sexual-misconduct-claims/

There's an open-specialization job I'm thinking of applying for in my field, but there's a current faculty member with some significant research specialization overlap (it's a huge department, with 40-odd faculty). I don't think the job is a retirement replacement, since they're associate, not full. I don't know them personally, although I'm familiar with their work. Should I mention them in my application? How? Or should I simply not bother applying?

When multiple researchers work on the same project, how do you handle situations where people interpret the same paper differently?

For example, one person might see a finding as supporting the main argument, while another thinks the study's limitations make that interpretation too strong.

Do you have a process for resolving these differences, or does it usually come down to discussion until everyone agrees?

TL;DR: do editors have the transfer information in an elsevier transfer

Hello,

I am submitting a theoretical manuscript (very important to me). My coauthors & I made a list of journals we wanted to have our manuscript published in.

I have submitted it to journal A (most competitive), which rejected it but as an elsevier journal proposed to transfer it somewhere else. We agreed to transfer it to a journal that was not on our list (but high IF, theoretical, and quick responses like less than 15 days from submission to 1st decision). This journal (journal X) rejected it. Now there is a new transfer suggestion from elsevier that asks to publish our manuscript in the second journal of our list (journal B).

Do you think that there is a differences in chances for my manuscript to be accepted if I submit it as a transfer ? or should I do it as a new sumission to maximize the likelihood of a positive editorial decision ?

Hello everyone!
I’m currently in the second year of my Master’s degree in Business Administration in Switzerland with a focus on Asian markets.

I’m planning to move to Japan 🇯🇵 for a few months to work on my Master’s thesis. I’m particularly interested in topics such as geopolitics, business internationalization, supply chain management, and relations between companies and governments.

Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out which direction to take. I’m interested in all these fields, but I’m struggling to find the right research question, ideally something that would also be relevant to my future career.

If you have any advice or experiences you’d be willing to share, I’d love to hear from you! I’m especially interested in hearing about topics that could be worth exploring in the context of Japan and its relationship with Switzerland.
Thanks in advance for your help! 🙏

has anyone ever gone through the process of suing because of neoptism in a lab? Do you report it to the university or take it legally? And is having evidence from multiple colleagues beneficial in such a case? I am in germany

I’ve completed my undergrad and it’s been about a year and I have had trouble finding any work. I’m working a small radio job right now but from what I’ve been told, it won’t really go much anywhere. I thought about going back to school and getting a masters degree to become a professor. I told myself that if I never made it into the industry, then I could at least prepare people before me on how to get there. My goal is to teach animation, computer modeling, and basic techniques in drawing. I feel a lot of people like the basics when they come into school.

This is more of a vent session/PSA and not a question.

I don't know who popularized the phrase "I hope this email finds you well" as the opening to a cold email, but stop it. No one talks like this, and it's obvious you just sent a form letter or let an LLM write it for you.

"I hope this email finds you well" gets binned.

/rant

I have applied to multiple faculty positions in Europe this cycle (DE, FR, CH) which I think I am reasonably well qualified for. For some of these, zoom interviews are complete and I feel they went fairly well. I am now in the torturous waiting phase and my mind has begun to drift to "What if I get invited for an in person interview"? I have no idea if it is a valid fear, but I look much younger than I really am, so I fear that getting something like attire wrong will only contribute to perceptions of inexperience. I am sure that as in the US, dress standards vary country, institution, and field of study, but I was hoping that some people here could perhaps provide some insight into dress expectations for a faculty interview in these countries. For reference, I am a man in my mid 30s from the US, applying to positions in the life sciences.

R2 university in the USA

Worked with advisor for ~2.5 years during masters. worked independently, no hand-holding, got papers out (top venues, me first-author, him senior author), was productive (I think? I hope...).

Applying to PhD this cycle. Don't have anything starting Dec., so asked him if he could host me in his lab until I join a PhD next fall. No job offers either, and visa ending in Dec.

No response.

Followed up after a week.

No response.

I feel humiliated for not even getting a "no" response.

Fuck academics tbh.

p.s. I was never an official part of his lab since "he only pays PhD students", but still worked on my project voluntarily. I asked him if he would take me as a PhD, he said "you can apply, but I would have to see all applicants before committing to anyone", which does not signal confidence to me.

Hi everyone, currently looking at getting a postdoc in bioinformatics (just graduated from PhD). I’m a US citizen in the US

What’s the process to get one? I know that cold emailing PIs is the general advice, but how do you go about doing that especially if a position isn’t advertised?

Another question I have: is it easier to get a postdoc position than it was for PhD? I remember emailing a ton of profs for PhD admissions and didn’t get many responses back. For postdocs, I’m really applying only to labs where I’m a good fit and interested in the research.

Appreciate any insight!! Thanks

I have a project.. due in 2 days. I need TWO people to interview regarding their opinion/views on bioremediation. Ti**mezone: UTC +8

Im a student from PISAY (Philippines Science High School) and is currently conducting a research documentary video about bioremediation. I need to interview two stakeholders to satisfy the rubrics… help..

I’ll ask for your profession and full name. If you consent to be interviewed, i must also ask your consent to record the meeting through zoom or gmeet (Your camera can be off). We will NOT post any media gathered from the interview on any platform, and all that will be said will be used for educational purposes. thank you!

I'm finishing my first year in a philosophy research-master’s program which is heavily focused on head starting an academic career. Next year, I will write my thesis (in the form of an article and PhD proposal) + follow some seminars.

Professors strongly encourage students to start publishing/ presenting as soon as possible, but I feel like I'm not ready for this at all. I am still developing my interests, and I have not yet discovered my 'niche specialisation'. I do have some thinkers and topics I am leaning towards but nothing that I feel I am capable enough to publish and present on?

I don't think this is imposters syndrome, it is just the recognition that I am still very young and early on in my 'career', so I am doubtful I can write something actually worthwhile at this point. Generally, I take a long time developing an idea and writing a text. So publishing and presenting already feels too early and scary.

The only thing I can see myself doing is publishing/presenting in our faculty philosophy journal, but as of now I have had no time to work on projects that fit the theme of these editions (I work 2days a week outside academia).

How important is this? I see fellow students publishing one piece after another. I can't help but wonder how these people just found their 'interest' very early on, if these pieces are even good, and whether I should make publishing/presenting more of a priority even if it is outside my comfort zone.

 (edit - spacing)