So my understanding is that for larger R1s you essentially need to be a superstar (K99, impeccable productivity, multiple high impact papers, stand out from sometimes 1k+ candidates). On average. Not saying it’s a must but just typically that’s what you see.

Whereas for smaller R1s, yes the applicant pool will likely still be huge but the shortlist is likely less competitive on average. Like a good track record and good research fit can get you through the door.

However, the funding landscape has clearly changed and the bar has definitely raised for all positions. My question is, are small R1s essentially what large R1s used to be?

Everyone is so desperate for positions so I am wondering how things compare to just a few years ago

EDIT: I get that every single TT position is competitive. I am mostly asking how much more competitive small R1s are compared to pre funding cut days. And by small R1 I mean the average small R1. Not an ivy league outlier.

Does anyone else have this experience, and how do you manage/overcome this? I’m working on a history research project. Even though I have an outline, source base, and narrow (6 year) time period, I can’t seem to get past the tendency to get stuck on “fully understanding” a historical trend that’s one small piece or that isn’t even the direct subject of the paper. Then I get sucked into just reading and writing about that, with little to show for it. I think it’s a combo of obsessive tendencies, perfectionism, and maybe subconsciously avoiding the actual thing, so fixating on something tangentially related instead. It feels like quicksand. When I try to move on I get so overwhelmed and then my mental system crashes.

Any guidance, practical strategies, etc would be super helpful. Do I just need to catch myself when this happens and force myself to move on? I really want to go to grad school but I’m worried I don’t have the discipline that it takes. I have ADHD and struggle with having clear mental compartments or being able to direct my thinking in a conscious way

Hi,

I currently have an offer on the table that is great on paper (resources, personell, permanent). However, my partner and I really enjoy the city we live in right now and additionally, I got a grant that would cover me the next 5 years in the current city (can be moved to new institute).

The city with the good offer is nice but there are several things that are kind of the non negotiable (bad job perspective for partner, housing costs double but salary stays the same).

We more or less made our decision but I struggle a little bit to accept this decision since I know this position would have a very good impact on my career.

Was someone else in a similar position and ever regretted declining a job offer?

Asking about do conferences in your field make profit, because the discussion in this thread raised many thoughts in me https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/1x6qbmb/​

My experience is from biomedical engineering field in Finland/Europe and all the conferences I have been attending over the last 10 years are organized by some scientific society. So they are not for-profit organizers. Actually I know our Nordic society right now has even a problem that we need to spend the surplus budget our annual conference earned, when organizers were too good at getting sponsors. So they are giving extra travel grants next year. By law the non-profit association is not allowed to accumulate significant wealth.

I have also been in organizing committee of several small national conferences and we always try to put the registration costs as low as possible. So need exact calculation on how many sponsors we need to keep registration price at less than 500euros for example.

So when in that linked thread so many people say that it is completely fine to sneak in conferences and attend the dinners without paying, I find it hard to agree on. However, somehow, if the conference was making profit, and/or was run by a company, not by a scientific society, it would be easier for me to understand why so many people seem to advocate for sneaking in and attending for free.

So are the conferences in your field making profit? Which country and which field?

Hi everyone! I'm currently doing an MSc in International Finance & Economics at TH Nürnberg in Germany, and I'm exploring Economics PhD opportunities in Germany.

I'd love to connect with current PhD students,

I have a few questions about admission chances, GPA requirements, mathematical preparation, and research experience. I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice you can share.

Thanks in advance!

Got a “revise including language editing” decision from an Elsevier journal. Between addressing the reviewers’ comments and the editing service taking about 11 days, I don’t think I’ll make the deadline.

Did you ask for an extension in this situation? Is it usually granted?

Thanks!

How do you gracefully exit a publication? Got dragged into something and helped out a lot with the work, but the paper is not up to my standards. Not sure I want my name on it.

What types of academic institutions are suitable for me? I have a PhD in math.

I'm writing a quantitative thesis (survey study) and I'm stuck on how the intro and lit review connect.

My study tests whether a few social factors are associated with consumers' attitudes towards switching to electric vehicles. The factors were chosen from previous qualitative research before I did my structured lit review, and my review's eligibility criteria reflected that.

I've been advised not to name the factors in the intro, and to have them "emerge" from the lit review instead. I understand why, but I'm confused about:

1. What the rationale in the intro should say if I can't name the factors yet. Can I say "factors shaping these attitudes are known qualitatively but haven't been tested quantitatively" before the lit review has shown that?

2. Whether it's okay to present the factors as coming out of the review when they were actually pre-selected (a deductive approach).

3. Where the gap goes: in the intro, at the end of the lit review, or both?

4. Do I also say that the point of the lit review was to identify these factors in the beginning? Or not say that at all. If I say that then don't I need to justify it?

Also my hypotheses and RQ appear after the lit review if that helps.

Has anyone dealt with this? How did you make the chapters flow without misrepresenting the order you did things in?

I don't know how you guys feel about this, but this is what my experience with Indian academia has been like.

I did my integrated BS-MS from a reputed government university in India, and during the final year, I worked on my master's research project in life sciences. I never expected my master's work to be groundbreaking, but I genuinely worked my ass off and believe I have enough results to make two proper papers out of it.

The lab environment was pretty bad to begin with. PhD students were treated like daily-wage labourers, sometimes even worse. As a master's student, I worked on a part of the project, followed the directions given by my PI, and did my best to generate results.

When I was about to leave the lab after completing my degree, my PI rushed me to submit the manuscript. I did everything as instructed and submitted it in the required format. That was over one and a half years ago.

Since then, I've been asking for updates every few weeks or months. Initially, I was simply ghosted. Then I was told I'd receive an email soon. Nothing happened. Later, I was told the manuscript was being formatted. Months passed. Then came the excuse that publishing would require a substantial amount of money.

I understand that publishing costs money. I'm not expecting a publication in Nature or some high-impact journal. I'm talking about a perfectly reasonable paper in a decent, relatively low-impact journal. At one point, I even suggested putting it on a preprint server, but that suggestion was met with silence too.

And the most frustrating part? The paper in question isn't even the primary paper from my master's thesis. It's an extension of the work I did.

I see my friends getting their master's research published, while I'm still stuck asking for updates and receiving the same recycled excuses. I don't even know what to say anymore. I just wanted something tangible from all the effort I put into my research, something I could show as part of my scientific career.

I'm currently pursuing my PhD in Singapore, and the research environment here is quite different. I understand that research takes time, funding is limited, and publishing isn't always straightforward. I'm not asking anyone to publish every piece of work immediately. But there's a difference between genuine scientific delays and leaving someone hanging for over a year without any clarity.

Indian academia constantly talks about a lack of funding, but then why take on more students than a lab can reasonably accommodate? Why make students work their asses off if there's no proper plan to take their work forward? And why is there so little accountability when it comes to the time and effort students invest?

What pisses me off is that, as a student, you have very little power in this situation. You can't exactly confront your PI without worrying about the consequences. So you keep asking for updates, keep hearing excuses, and eventually learn to live with the disappointment.

I know ranting here won't change anything. I'm not even looking for a solution. I'm just tired of seeing how easily students' efforts can be disregarded when they've already given so much of their time and energy.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

I'm going to be emailing multiple PI's at my old university whose work I am interested in to ask if I can volunteer in their lab, I'm struggling to find a job because of my lack of lab experience (BSc Psychology) and this is the only way I can think of gaining it, as I don't have the funds to return to education. I have a Msc in Neuroscience and I'm wanting experience in cell culture, tissue culture, flow cytometry, etc, but even general experience such as washing and preparing equipment would be fine too.

I have received the advice from one of my old lecturers who is very well known in the academic world of finding multiple PIs, personalising the emails, showing that I'm familiar with their work and that I've really thought about this. But he also said that I probably won't get many takers if any because of the fact these PIs already get flooded with requests like these, which has massively discouraged me.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what else I could add to these emails to make them more likely to accept me, and how I could personalise the emails if the request is the same and their work is similar to eachothers.

Please ask for any more information about my background if I haven't provided enough!

Anyone taken a gap of 1–1.5 years between PhD and first postdoc?

Field: ed neuroscience/psychology USA

Just curious if anyone here has taken a bit of a gap (voluntary or not) after their PhD before landing their first postdoc, and how it worked out.

Currently struggling to find a postdoc, partly due to my low publication count. I’m working on that, but realistically it’ll take another 6–7 months to get some papers wrapped up (and of course, submission doesn’t guarantee acceptance).

I have no one to blame but myself, but I’m trying to figure out a way forward. If I end up with a 1.5-2 year gap but manage to get 3–5 papers published during that time, would that help offset the gap? I am not super confident in my ability to securing a postdoc even with this incoming new cycle 27-28. I am mostly worried about the whole “academic age” thing and how it’ll affect future opportunities.

Thankfully, finances aren’t the biggest issue since I have a supportive partner. On the bright side, I also found an adjunct teaching position at a university I like, in an area I’d love to move to someday. I am also connecting with some labs in the area I will move to to do some volunteer data analysis or lab work to keep my connection open and to stay relevant in this big chunk of sabbatic post phd lol.

Would love to hear if anyone has been in a similar situation and how things turned out!

I'm sure there's about a billion two body problem questions in here, but I'm not finding any with advice I like (brutal).

Long story short: my wife is about to finish up her PhD. I'm enormously proud of her. I love her dearly, and don't view divorce as an option for me at all. The rub is that I can see life outside of my marriage getting increasingly hard very quickly. Ive been in a part of the country I don't particularly enjoy for the better part of 5 years now, working a job that I'm borderline overqualified for, unable to get into a masters degree that would pump me up to the bare minimum to get a "real" job in my very specialized field. It's been very, very, hard on my self-esteem. I loved my job that I had before we left, and I was applying to grad schools before we left, but I thought I could get into one here, and when that didn't work out, I felt my career just kind of flatline. I'm working with MS students 6 years my junior who look like they have their lives together in a seriously concerning way, and I just cannot seem to get over how behind I feel.

Here's the rub. I'm applying to grad schools now, and I'm getting a decent amount of positive responses from potential advisors that I feel I would work well with. My wife, however, does not want to do long distance, at all. Like it's a complete non-negotiable for her. She wants kids, and soon, and doesn't want to wait much longer, which puts it all on me to get in somewhere where she is going to have a postdoc opportunity. Except she can't tell me where she's going to get an opportunity (obviously) and won't be even reaching out for months.

I just don't see a future in this where I get to progress in my career without getting insanely lucky, which isn't something that brings me much comfort. Has anyone else run into this? How did you manage? Career pivots? Patience? Substance abuse? I'm trying to figure out a way through this without being a resentful dickhead, but I keep getting closer and closer to that cliff.

My_qualifications: Ba Hons in History, MA in English from Delhi University and currently pursuing an MSc in Gender at LSE. With a year of experience in the rural development and health sector.

I want to make the best use of my year at LSE.

My topic is an intersection of Social Anthropology, Ethnography, Ethnomusicology, Gender, Folk and Post Colonial Theories. I want to explore ‘Third Spaces’ and Agency in Punjab through a study of select communities. The research would draw a comparison between two gendered spaces. The one for men was built around leisure, social interaction and was the outside. However, the one for women was built around expression through dance and music, and was also a space for craft creation. I want to explore both of these spaces. I understand that the topic is very nascent but I’ve been actively building on this.

I’m looking for ways through which I could streamline my topic and if someone could kindly guide me in the direction of what programs to apply to. I’m aware that I should be the one to do proper research and make informed decisions. I’m just looking for some starting points.

Whether the UK, or elsewhere is a better option, is another point I want to consider. Since the move I’ve made from India to London, it has been a rough transition to say the least and perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself and it is too soon to judge but I’d prefer living elsewhere. A small town with a relatively slow paced life is better suited for my liking. I’m sorry if I come off as entitled- it is understandable that one should be grateful for whatever opportunity they get and I shouldn’t be picky about what city I want to live in. However, it’s just a factor I’d like to consider.

Thank you.

I’m a third-year PhD student in accounting at a U.S. university, and I haven’t taken my comprehensive exam yet. This is supposed to be my last semester of coursework, with only one seminar left. I’m also teaching an undergraduate course as the instructor, not as a TA, and working on a research paper that I have to present before the semester ends.

I’m having a difficult time with the professor teaching my seminar. I worked as her TA for a semester, and we got along fine then. This semester, though, she has been grading my work very poorly and making comments that feel unnecessarily harsh and personal to me. I’ve met with her after class twice, but I still don’t feel that I understand what she expects or how to address her concerns. Our communication has become very limited.

I also have difficulty understanding her pronunciation sometimes, which makes it harder to follow what she means in conversation. I’ve tried to keep working hard and show that I’m making an effort. Other PhD students have advised me to do that too.

I’m concerned that she relies heavily on Turnitin when evaluating my work. I don’t know how much she reviews the assignments beyond the Turnitin results, and I don’t want to assume what she is doing. Today, I noticed that a comment on one assignment had been removed and the grade had changed to 0/2. I’m not sure why it changed, and I’m trying to figure out how to ask about it professionally.
For example, she told me the threshold should be below 30 percent, then said I was focusing too much. much on Turnitin in. Next, she told me I should talk to senior PhD students, then told me not to bother them with questions. She told me that either I'm putting in inadequate efforts or I don't understand the papers.

I spoke with my PhD coordinator a few days ago. The coordinator advised me to work hard, but I’m not sure whether she has discussed my concerns with the professor. I also mentioned another department issue, and the response was that I shouldn’t compare myself with other students. I understand that, but I left feeling that my concern about how this seminar is being handled wasn’t addressed.

I’m not trying to attack the professor or claim I know her motives. I’m stressed and worried about how this course could affect me, especially with everything else I’m responsible for this semester. How should I approach the professor and my coordinator from here? What should I document, and when is it appropriate to ask about a formal review of a grade?

She has been retrospectively changing my grades. She has changed the grading policy of the course after I talked to the PhD coordinator. So, I believe my PhD coordinator has talked to her about me. It's clear now that she's doing this on purpose.

I showed her comments to one of my American friends who is also doing PhD (not in my department, but under the same school). He told me that her comments are disgusting.

I used AI to write this post on Reddit, as English is my second language.

Hi everyone, I’m a high school student taking dual-enrollment classes at Grossmont College, and I’m really stressed about a situation that happened today.
I had a class that ran from August 24 to October 17. On the last day, our Wi-Fi stopped working, and I wasn’t able to submit my final project and quizzes before the course locked at 11 PM. I emailed my professor explaining what happened and asking if there was any way I could still submit the work, but I’m worried I might receive an F.
I’m also trying to figure out whether I can switch the class to Pass/No Pass or submit an appeal. I found the contact information for someone listed as an associate professor and department head at Grossmont. His phone number is listed on the college website, but I’m not sure if it’s an office number or his personal phone. His listed office hours are Monday through Thursday from 10–11 AM.
Since today is October 17, I’m worried this might be my last day to request Pass/No Pass. I don’t want to wait until Monday and miss the deadline, but I also don’t want to be rude by calling a professor on a Saturday when it’s outside his office hours.
Would you call the number today because the deadline is urgent, or would you just email and wait until Monday? Should I contact Admissions and Records instead? I’d really appreciate advice. Thank you!

Hi all!

How would you handle a REALLY EXTENSIVE peer review report requesting major revisions? I am grateful for the time and energy that the reviewer put into this, but wow, it is really long and requests so many things that I am not sure we can do it all...

I am overwhelmed by a six-page review report. Maybe I am overthinking it, but I have never received such an extensive report. Plus, I have comments from two other reviewers to address (totally fine with those).

Is this normal in your field? How do you manage addressing these comments and moving forward with the manuscript?

Thanks a bunch!

Recently, there was a post here where the OP assumed their reviewers were asking for the OP to cite one of their reviewer's papers. In OP's case, their reviewer didn't state it was their own paper and OP just guessed.

However, I had a case where someone outright told me to cite a paper of theirs. I won't quote the direct phrasing for anonymity on my side but it was stated quite outright. This was (and is) my first paper published and upon consulting with a few people I added the reviewer's proposed paper (which was written by them).

Now, I might be being paranoid, but someone in a comment said that this could also get me in trouble, if my reviewer in the future gets in trouble, and I just wanted to get other people's opinion on this?

The paper has not been published yet and I think I could retract that citation and cite another paper.

Some time ago I was part of a conference organizing body. In particular, I was in the register, right before the main room, so I saw everyone come in. In the second and the third day, some people came up, saying "I have lost/forgot my landyard, can you give me a replacement?" but some other people just walked in without landyard.

I'm not the police so I wasn't gonna stop anyone from going in regardless of their landyard-wearing status, but I wonder how common is for people to sneak into conferences? Have you ever had someone at a conference audience that you knew hadn't paid? Did you/someone care? Have you ever been that someone? I'm looking forward to reading your stories!

I recently finished my PhD and continued my research as a postdoctoral researcher in the same lab. Part of my responsibility as a postdoc is to train and support students working in the same research area. One particular labmate I am currently supervising recently transitioned from a master’s program to a PhD position. I started mentoring her during the final year of my PhD.

At that time, I recommended some papers for her to read and encouraged her to approach me whenever she needed help or advice. However, over the following six months, she never approached me to discuss the papers or ask for guidance on the experimental procedures required for her research. Since I was busy preparing for my PhD defense, I did not follow up with her regularly. Looking back, I recognize that I could have done more to guide her during that period. Nevertheless, I encouraged her to take the initiative and ask questions whenever she needed help, assuring her that I could make time to support her. Eventually, I sent her a message emphasizing the importance of being proactive in research, especially because I am currently the only person in the lab who can directly supervise this particular research topic.

During my own PhD, I had to work independently because no one else in my lab was pursuing the same research topic, and even my PI could not provide direct guidance in that area. I know how challenging that experience can be, and I do not want her to face the same difficulties. That is why I genuinely tried to provide as much guidance as I could before completing my PhD. Now, as a postdoctoral researcher, I am continuing to support and supervise junior students. However, I feel that this particular labmate has been avoiding me. Even when we happen to meet in the lounge or cafeteria, she sometimes seems to pretend not to see me.

This situation has made me question myself. Do I come across as intimidating? Did I do something wrong? Perhaps my expectations of a junior researcher are too demanding, or perhaps my approach to mentoring is not as effective as I think it is. I genuinely want to help her grow as a researcher, but I also believe that becoming an independent scientist requires taking initiative and actively seeking opportunities to learn. I am willing to provide guidance and support, yet I understand that not everyone approaches learning in the same way.

I am now wondering whether I should adjust my mentoring style, communicate my expectations differently, or simply accept that people have different approaches to learning and research. I have long considered the possibility of becoming a professor, but this situation has made me question whether I am suited for that path. Perhaps, after completing my postdoctoral contract, pursuing a career in industry would be a better fit for me.

Originally, when applying to college, I applied for an English or sociology degree because those subjects came easier to me and i had the highest grades in them and i could see myself working as a social worker or writer. My mother said I shouldn't do those majors because I wouldn't get a job. So I did an environmental science degree because it genuinely was a passion of mine. Doing the degree was a little harder than I expected. 
Well now after some time I could not get a real / good job in my field where I live, only internships. They exist but they are all taken / rarely hiring.  Now they want to pay for my masters degree in the same field. The program looks promising and it's only a year. It's not super expensive. At first I was willing and happy, but soon after, the more I think about it, I'm starting to become concerned because it’s straying further and further away from what I ever saw myself doing. What’s also concerning is control, because they’re paying and I am not sure I would’ve gone down this path. They only ask that I not drop out and only give me one day to decide but I don't think that's enough time. I already went through 4 years of undergrad and it’s 1 more year + a free / cheap degree. I don’t think doing it would be the worst thing for me, and I have some ideas on what my thesis could possibly be. Is it setting me back if I don't do it? Is it setting me back if I do it? Also I'm trying not to compare myself to my friends because many of them have gotten their masters degree. I really do not know how to approach this.  

How do you plan the steps when writing a scoping review article? As a student in the early stages of my doctoral program, I would like to conduct a study with my thesis supervisor. Should I focus on a topic that has not been extensively researched? What approach do you follow? What is a typical number of articles to include? I have found 33 articles in Scopus and 31 in Web of Science (WoS)—is this a reasonable number? My research area is child psychology btw

Hey! I am currently in my 4th studying English and Creative Writing with Journalism at the University of Strathclyde. I want to work in academia and be a lecturer but having trouble deciding on what path is right. I live in Glasgow now but I’m very interested in something new. I know that I want to teach both Creative Writing and English, with the ability to publish my own work (I have a few small things published already). I have heard that it’s best to get a MA in creative writing and a PHD in literature but I have also been told the opposite. The idea of further study and a PHD is very enticing to me, but I'm struggling with what path to take. I am considering London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Dublin (with the vibes and outside the classroom life of each city being very important to me). 

Here is the list of programmes I am considering, in no particular order. I would appreciate any advice people have! 

1.  Uni of Manchester MA Modern and Contemporary Literature
2. Uni of Strathclyde Creative Writing MFA 
3. Uni of Strathclyde MLitt
4. Kings College London Contemporary Literature, Culture & Theory MA
5. Trinity College Dublin Contemporary Lit and Theory 
6. UCL Contemporary Lit and Theory 
7.  UCL English: Issues in Modern Culture MA

Hi everyone. I have an interesting situation regarding a manuscript I am working on and I wanted to get some second opinions before I revisit the discussion with my PI.

Background - The project was done during my PI's postdoc years ago. He'll obviously be the senior author. A Grad student who helped on the project did the data analysis and was supposed to write the manuscript. Ultimately though, the student graduated, working on/off the manuscript for a couple of years, then decided they no longer wanted to continue writing/working on it. They finished the data analysis (it was done incorrectly) and wrote a sort of introduction, methods, and results.

That's where I come in. My PI originally asked me to redo the data analysis and to help finish up the manuscript by editing the methods, rewriting the results, and writing the discussion. At the time we agreed upon 3rd author (1st was still the Grad student, 2nd was someone who did a lot of the heavy lifting when executing the project).

Now, it has turned into me redoing the data analysis (very time consuming), rewriting the entire manuscript (every section), generating the figures, and dealing with any eventual revisions needed.

My question is: Is it appropriate for me to push for first author or co-first author on this paper? Generally I feel like it would be a no brainer, but with 1) me not being originally involved and 2) the original 1st author doing the data analysis and writing part of the paper (even though both endeavors were not finished or done correctly and are being redone), I am just unsure.

I am going to discuss this with my PI at our upcoming meeting, but I wanted to see what other people think and see if I'm being unreasonable before I go pushing.

Any advice helps, thanks!

Hi everyone! Has anyone done a short-term research internship or visiting student program in China? I’d love to hear about your experience, especially contacting professors directly. Any advice would be appreciated!