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jefflang 
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Subject area: Social Sciences
Department: Library Information Science
Pursuing degree: Masters
School start date: 02/2005
Expected/Completed graduation date: 12/2008
Stage of research: Post-Graduation
Research topics/interests: Information Management, Innovation, Social Networking, Information Policy I'm also the Community Manager for GradShare. Send me a note if you have any comments on the site. Thanks for using GradShare!
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Answers: (56)
I did some quick looking, but couldn't find anything. I tried narrowing down by terms like "geography" or "own state", but those didn't help.
Do you know if you were looking at a conferene proceeding or a journal article? Any thoughts on words that appeared in the title or the abstract? Was there a specific state mentioned? Anything that could help narrow the search through a specific field.
Does anyone know of good software, a website, or some other means of doing group work on projects?
For some highly collaborative group projects, I've used a wiki. I set it up on my own server, but there are plenty of free hosted wikis out there, too.
We uploaded documents and then used the comments section to leave feedback. We put our schedules and meetings notes on the regular wiki pages. I could give different access to different people; like read only access for the professor or advisor.
One drawback is that someone needs to be the wiki maintiner. Otherwise, the information can get disorganized when everyone starts putting their information in a different place or when a page that was supposed to be for a narrow purpose turns into a monolithic document. Also, you have to have a group who is proactive about updating their pages and about reviewing other people's work.
We actually used a wiki to help organize the development of GradShare early on. We used PBwiki, which is now PBworks but it started getting too focused on project management for my tastes. It also got pretty expensive.
Knowing your subject area would be helpful. Many departments have student journals (some more than one).
This sounds like it's a program-specific question. Discussions here reach students at many universities, so you'll need to ask a more general question in order to get feedback. Sorry.
How do you approach people you don't know about giving you a chance to work in there organisation?
Instead of emailing them out of the blue, you should try to find a connection to them.
If you're on LinkedIn, see if you have any pathways to them. A 2nd degree connection is best, even if the connecting person isn't someone you know well (that's why its helpful to build up your network before you need it). See whether any of your professors have connections to those people or to someone who could provide similar information.
Check with your Career Center, too. If the company has ever visited campus then the Career Center staff may have contacts at the company. Use that connection to introduce yourself and learn about the company culture and expectations. Now, your new company contact can be a champion for you and introduce you to members of your desired department.
The best connection you can make is someone who's willing to go to bat for you. Would you be more likely to speak up for someone your friend or colleague knows or someone who sent you an email?
How do you approach people you don't know about giving you a chance to work in there organisation?
I've gotten to be on both sides of the hiring process now and here are a few of the things that I've found
- Be prepared. Know what types of skills and experiences that your target organization is looking for and highlight your mastery in those areas. Don't worry about not being an expert because if they're looking for someone right out of school they'll be willing to do some training, but you need to show that you won't have to be taught everything. If you really are focusing on a specific organization or job, you might want to seek out opportunities to practice the appropriate skills so that you have something concrete to show. If you don't have a lot of experience yet, at least show that you understand what the job will require of you and how well prepared you are to learn the skills.
- Be appropriate. This has a lot of levels to it. You need to approach appropriate people in the organization at an appropriate time and in an appropriate manner. Many companies send representatives to a conference specifically to recruit so that's a great time to show off, but randomly emailing someone who's address is on a website probably won't work. Introductions through shared contacts are good because they add some extra context to your discussion. A big part of being appropriate can't be spelled out in a step by step guide because it's very situation specific, but that's actually the most important part. By showing that you know how to follow appropriate protocol it shows that you understand the organization, its members, and its culture well enough fit in quickly. That's one of the few things that often can't be taught.
Good luck with your job search and when in doubt do what grad school taught you to do. Research it!
Hi Heather, thanks for the question.
This community is only open to US and Canadian institutions. Someone may have studied there and then moved to a US institution, but you may not get any suggestions. Good luck with your research.
It helps to be organized on these types of tasks (especially while you're getting used to them). Try taking notes while you read; this is even better than highlighting at the start because you can use the notes to form the basis of your review. Over time you may be able to switch to highlighting or even working from memory.
Once you have your notes list, work that into your overview. This will form the body of your review, but I often find it easier to write this first. Next, you'll want an introduction. If this was a reading that you selected, you can explain why or how you think it relates to the class/subject you're studying. Finally, in your conclusion you should discuss things like the type of impact this reading had on your view of the subject or what you think that impact would be on the field. You could point out inconsistencies in the argument or connect it to to other timely topics.
Try to plan far enough ahead to give yourself time in between writing and proof reading (preferably 24 hours). Print it out if you have trouble proof reading on the computer and don't just rely on the spell checker to make sure your grammar is correct.
Fortunately, you'll have lots of opportunities to practice these skills as a grad student. In the end, everyone has a different writing style so you'll want to adapt these suggestions when you find what works best for you.
Good luck!
I would prep for this type of project the same way I prepare for other papers using the following thought process:
- What topic do I want to discuss (i.e. thesis)?
- What background information do I need to know about this topic (i.e. lit review)?
- How do should my paper flow (i.e. outline)
Hopefully, the background info will help you to narrow down the type of LIS professional you want to interview (academic vs public vs corporate; reference vs systems vs collections; etc) and help you come up with the questions you want to ask.
Depending on how outgoing you are, it might be easier to find a librarian you have a connection to (like friend of a friend or recommendation from a professor), but then again you could walk into just about any library and I'm sure you'd find someone who would talk help out (they just might not be the type of librarian you're looking for).
Do anyone where I can find the petition form for grade change? Thank you.
This question is a little too specific for GradShare. Since this is an inter-university forum, most members won't know those kinds of details about your school. Getting in touch with your advisor, or your program/Grad School administrators is probably your best bet.
Good Luck!
First of all, congratulations on completing your dissertation! Social networking tools and their use in academia is a topic near and dear to me.
I'm not as familiar with the journals where you could publish on the Higher Ed research side (and those should probably be your first priority), but as for the information technology side you should take a look at D-Lib and First Monday. There are plenty more, but I'm a few years out of school now and can't remember all the other names off hand.
For a title, I'd suggest that you work in something about undergrad recruitment (esp if that's what your findings relate to). The term "social networking" is fairly broad and has lost some of it's cache so you'll be more likely to spark interest if you call attention to your recruitment focus.
Good Luck!
I've been following a group out of the University of Maryland - CASCI
That's a pretty tall order! Your thesis topic should be something you have a particular interest in, and potentially even in the area where you plan to work/study in the future.
If you're really at a loss for any ideas, I would start by thinking about which classes interested you the most and which topics stood out as interesting or especially timely. You could try contacting your professors from those classes and ask them about the newest developments in the field.
In the end, your thesis will be a better work and will benefit you more if you write about a topic that really interests you.
Good luck! Let us know what you pick and how you narrow down your options. I'm sure that information will be helpful to others.
Hi Dawn, just thought you should know that this is a forum for grad students across the US & Canada so many are not from your school. Good luck finding your information
Hi Tiffany,
Check out the Social Sciences category, you'll find Library and Information Science under there. Feel free to email me or the support email if you have more questions.
Hi ultimate_Jo,
Just so you know, this forum serves students across the US & Canada so most members won't be able answer specific questions about your program or university. Your advisor or department staff might be the best people to answers this type of question.
Good luck!
It's been a while since I first started playing with databases, but there are hundreds of websites with tutorials, so a websearch might be the best place to start. I know I used to use www.devshed.com a while ago, not sure if they're still a good site.
The other option is to pick up a book. You don't necessarily need one that focuses on the latest version of Oracle since you probably won't use all the whiz-bang features while you're learning the basics. That means you can pick up a cheap used copy or borrow one from the library to save money.
Either way, I've found that learning a database system is very hands on. Make sure you use a resource that gives you exercises to try after each lesson and actually do them.
Good luck!
Have you taken any online courses yet? If not, I would recommend trying one before enrolling in an all-online program.
I only took one online course in grad school, but I could it to be a very different experience than an in-person course.
- Coursework seemed more ever-present. In a traditional course, I would have class once per week and I would and I would know I could plan my readings and assignments between those weekly periods. Online courses are more fluid. Many don't have a specific meeting day, which could be good for you, but it can also feel like you're constantly getting new assignments without any rythme.
- Class participation is often gauged by your postings in a discussion board. This is very different from most in-person classes where there is one discussion path at a time and you communicate in person. Discussion forums can branch out in multiple directions and reading/typing can take more time than talking. On the plus side, if you're someone who has trouble speaking up in class this might be a good way to lead a branch of the discussion to your personal areas of interest.
- Interpersonal relationships are different online. While I do feel that you can make friends and feel a connection to class-mates (or fellow forum members here on GradShare) it's a different type of relationship than the one where you can meet up with your classmates for a meal before class.
I hope you find a program that works for you. Please keep us posted!
I've been trying (though not always successfully) to follow a framwork for my to-do list that I read about on Slate - http://www.slate.com/id/2231023/pagenum/all/
The basic idea is that you need a few different lists for big ideas that you'll eventually get to, down to individual task that you're working on now.
I also tweeted about it, in case you're into that sort of thing - http://www.twitter.com/GradShare
This isn't my area of expertise, but I asked some friends to see what advice they have:
Some people go into publishing or editing.Many companies are looking for people with good communication skills, so looking for positions that call for technical writing or public relations are possibilities. Most folks do end up teaching.
Is anyone out there an athlete as well as a grad student, and have a job?
I guess that depends a little on how you define "athlete". I run marathons once or twice a year, so I'm usually in training, but I'm not at a professional level. While I was completeing my Masters degree, I was also working full time (plus got married somewhere in there) and I found that I simply couldn't keep up all three.
While I was in school, I accepted that I wouldn't be able to compete at a satisfactory level so I didn't enter any races and I cut back on my workouts. Of course, the hardest time was near the end of my program when my level of fitness had worn down and I was spending more time with school work. Sometime's my runs were just depressing with how little I could do.
It took me about 9 months to get back to my pre-Master's level and it definately wasn't fun to feel so out-of-shape, but like school or anything that's important to you it just takes some dedication and hard work.
I agree with you, anyone who's successfully balancing all three is amazing. For me, I knew that something (or all things) would suffer if I didn't prioritize. I was already aware of trade-offs that I had to make in order to work and study at the same time. Best of luck to you if you can do it!
How many hours a week should a grad student devote to graduation requirements?
Part of the answer will depend on how much time you've got let in your degree. Under the Expert Advice tab on GradShare, there are a bunch of articles about picking your thesis/dissertation topic, writing it, defending, etc. Here are some of the time recommendations summarized
- Dissertation pre-proposal - 7 hrs
- Dissertation proposal - 200 hrs
- Dissertation - 245 hrs
Of course, you'll also need to plan on some overhead for coordinating with your advisor and others. If you're doing any primary research, that's another whole task to plan for but timing completely depends on your circumstances.
It's a lot of time, but a good plan gets you started early so that you can be deliberate and handle any challenges that come up along the way.
Funding isn't my area of expertise, so hopefully someone else can help out with personal experience here. But, in my daily browsing, I did come across this blog post http://cordei.com/?p=2585 asking the same question and some of the comments seem helpful.
Another similar question was just asked. Hopefully someone can answer both.
This question seems very similar to this one. Hopefully someone can answer both.
Are there any particular formats for writing an area paper?
What do you mean by an area paper? Are you asking about papers in the criminal justice field specifically? Is this a class paper or are you talking about an article that will be submitted to a journal?
I haven't used this yet, but it looks pretty cool. I like the Mac integration features like searching your documents through Spotlight.
Here's the link for others DevonThink
Well, doing the research to find all of that information does take some time, but it's a good forecast of what you can expect when you begin working towards your degree.
With that said, there are some ways to work "smarter" to find that information. One tool you can use is Scholar Universe. (Note, they're owned by the same company that I work for). They have a free search that lets you put in the name of a scholar and it will show you all the places they've worked, where they studied, what articles they've written, and who they co-authored with.
Also, if you're still completeing your undergrad degree, or have a nearby university library, try asking for help from a librarian. They'll be able to help you find journal articles about your subject and from there you can see which schools have that as a research focus. You should also talk to any professors who taught that subject during your undergrad degree. Chances are they read the primary reseach themselves, or can point you in the direction of someone who does. most professors love to talk about what they read and who they know!
Good luck.
I think it will be tough for anyone to tell you which program is easier. That will depend a lot on your personal strenghts and experience.
Maybe some others in the community can comment on the differences between those two specialties and the types of experiences that would help you to be successful in one of them.
Calendars and To-Do Lists: Electronic or good old-fashioned paper?
Personally, I think you should use whatever tools you can to support your own work style and ways of thinking. Plus, everyone has their phone out all the time now because it's not just a phone anymore, so don't feel embarrassed. In fact, many people will be interested to hear what tools you use to organize your work because not everyone likes to be the first one using something new. They want to hear your experience first.
As a side note, Google Notebook is no longer in development. If you signed up for it before, you can keep usign it, but you might want to find a replacement incase they pull the plug.
Some Masters programs make the thesis a one-semester affair and they expect you to complete it in your last semester. I think most programs try to be flexible to account for students' other life plans, but maybe this advisor is just extra busy. You could try asking your program director or department dean if there are other options to complete your thesis early. Or if you're just excited to get started then you might want to just get into your literature review. Every thesis will have a lit review section, so even if your advisor hasn't approved your topic yet, you can start keeping track of the works you want to cite. Find out if your school offers reference management software to keep track of your research or start keeping a stack of reference note card. That way, when you do get your topic approved you'll be ready to start writing.
I think your best bets are to start with two groups: your Library and your academic advisor. Libraries usually have a walk-up reference desk where someone can point out the important journals and databases in your field (some schools have even added university databases to the links in GradShare). You can use those to see what other people are researching and what interests you. Your advisor might be tough to track down and you may have to meet during their office hours or ask for an appointment but they can give you a really good idea of the scope of the project that you're expected to do and maybe suggest some topics. If that still doesn't help, try talking to a trusted professor. If you liked them and their course, then they might have some ideas you'll be interested in for your research. Good Luck!
Is it possible to be enrolled in two MA programs? Thanks
This really depends on your university. You may need to check with your Graduate School staff or your particular program's staff. Some schools offer cross disciplinary degrees to let you take classes in more than one program while still only doing the workload of one Masters degree. Are you looking for two professional degrees to try and impress potential employers or are you just interested in cross disciplinary research?
What are the best sites for selling old textbooks and getting the most $$?
This is slightly different, but have you ever heard of Chegg.com? Evidently they rent text books. There was an article about them in the NY Times this weekend
Here's an article about this topic in The Chronicle's Wired Campus blog. They also link to a few a few university policies on the subject
Do you know any other students who work with this professor? Maybe they have some suggestions on how to get a response. They probably can't give reminders for you, but if they name-drop you into their own conversations that might trigger a mental note for this prof to get back to you.
I don't know of a specific conference, but you should start your search with the campus research office. They probably have a database you can search for upcoming conferences. If not there, I'd try the library.
I always do better when I keep myself busy. It's a fine line to walk between being too busy and "going soft". I definitely recommend a work out routine. It's good to have a stress reliever and something constructive you can do when you need a study break...plus you're probably already paying for the school gym so you might as well use it! One note of caution though. Don't fill yourself up too much so that you can't attend the presentations and meetings that your program puts on. Those are great places to meet the faculty in a more friendly environment and they add a lot to your experience (plus, they often have free food).
Any suggestions for a first year doctoral student starting in the fall?
Hi blapoe, what type of suggestions are you looking for?Its easier to offer tips if you give us an are to focus on. Specific questions are best.
Hi onanakj, what steps have you taken so far? Your first stop should probably be your advisor. Don't forget to check with your research/funding office for possible grants and the career services office for part time job.
There are lots of other people, in academia and beyond, who have similar experiences. It sounds like you've done the right thing by seeking help. There was an excellent article in the Chronicle a little while ago called "Grad-School Blues: Students fighting depression and anxiety are not alone". Subscription required, so check with your library if you don't have access. Some of their numbers said that "At the University of California at Berkeley, 67 percent of graduate students said they had felt hopeless at least once in the last year; 54 percent felt so depressed they had a hard time functioning".
I need help creating a social website, any experience?
Well, that's a pretty timely topic for me! What type of help are you looking for? There are a lot of aspects to social communities and each decision comes with different trade-offs. To custom build or use Off the Shelf software? What type of interaction will form the basis of your community? How will you get enough content to attract new members when you don't have any members yet? How will people find out about the community?.........So, where shall we start?
Hi thanakij, it might be better if you can talk about some of your interests. Do you have questions about particular institutions? Are you looking to collaborate with one of them on research or trying to get a job?
How can I get a grant to help me fund my Applied Project?
There's another similar question to this, so I'm cross-posting this answer (see the first link).....Two good tools are Grants.gov for government funded research grants and COS Funding Opportunities. If your school subscribes to COS Funding, you may just be able to follow the link from on campus, or you may need to get account information from your university funding office. Just to be fair, I work for the company that owns COS and I think it's a great search tool. Anyways, definitely talk to your campus funding office to see what tools they have.
Does anyone know a way to get research grants for Accounting research?
Two good tools are Grants.gov for government funded research grants and COS Funding Opportunities. If your school subscribes to COS Funding, you may just be able to follow the link from on campus, or you may need to get account information from your university funding office. Just to be fair, I work for the company that owns COS and I think it's a great search tool. Anyways, definitely talk to your campus funding office to see what tools they have.
Masters Degree: Applied Project Template (Education) Needed Physical Education or Political Science?
12Bagger, I don't really understand your question. Are you saying that you're looking for a research project that spans your subject areas?
Make sure you check out the Expert Advice tab on GradShare. There's a piece that makes some good recommendations. I think the most important thing is to pick something that really gets you excited. You're going to spend a lot of time with this topic, even after you finish your degree, so it should be one that you like and that you want to be known for.
Yeah, congratulations and welcome to the group
Your first stop should be your university funding or research office. They'll have information about where to find funding and how to apply. You can also check on your university or library website to see if they have a subscription to COS Funding Opportunities or other similar services. (Note, I work on GradShare for ProQuest. COS Funding Opportunities is one of our products.)
Your university funding office may have some suggestions. The Expert Advice tab in GradShare has some information about the funding office and what they can do for you.
How much time should it take to get that dissertation written once you gather the data?
According to the following Expert Brief, you should plan for 245 hours. http://gradshare.com/advice.html?id=612
I guess it really depends on your writing style and how efficient you are. But either way the moral seems to be: write early and write often.I've found the best way is to pace yourself and try to get on a routine. I work during normal business hours (8:30 - 5ish, sometimes later) and I always go for a workout in the evening, have dinner and hit the books. I find that when my schedule doesn't fluctuate too much I can actually get into a groove and get some good work done. I use dinner time to relax and watch some TV (DVR really helps!). Then when I get towards the end of the semester and big things are due I sometimes skip my workouts and I suddenly feel like I've got a lot of extra time (and energy). It gets pretty repetitive and boring, but at least I'm feeling productive and that gives me a ittle time to do non-school things on the weekends.
What open-source or free software do you find useful for dissertation writing?
Some schools even have a branded version of Zotero that links up with their resolver (e.g. SerialsSolutions & SFX) so you can input a citation and go straight to full-text. Poke around on your library website.
Should I get a masters prior to a PhD?
For Library & Information Science, I think that getting a Masters Degree first can be a good thing. As kostiuk points out, you can get experience along the way and unlike some other highly competitive programs I haven't heard of schools penalizing students for changing institutions or degree tracks in the middle. Also, if you're not sure you can get into a PhD program (or the one you really want) then getting a Masters degree might give you opportunities for doing research, going to conferences and publishing. Those are all things that will help you get into the school of your choice.
What non-academic jobs are there for a degree in Educational Psychology?
There's some info about careers in Educational Psychology on the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_psychology#Careers_in_educational_psychology
How can online career networking programs such as LinkedIn prove useful in landing a job?
I've often wondered about that myself. I think the key is that it's a "networking" site, not specifically a job search site. Networking, whether online or offline, can be helpful for finding a job but but it's not the same as searching through Monster.com where companies post their openings and people post their resume. Some people do post jobs through LinkedIn, but it probably depends on what type of job you want. Academic positions are certainly about who-you-know as much as they're about what-you-know so LinkedIn might be good for that type of job over time, but I'm not sure how many academics are using it to manage their relationships right now. Meeting at conferences and informal communication might still be more important at the moment.
