this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2026
358 points (95.9% liked)
Science Memes
19344 readers
2871 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this can't be real
Have you ever worked in academia? This kind of email could definitely be real, not saying this one necessarily is though
I have never worked in academia, but I've spent time around academics and have read plenty of emails in both academic and corporate contexts ... this particular one looks fake, even if the circumstances of plagiarism are common - this just not seem like how a thesis adviser would address this kind of plagiarism with a grad student
The way I read it is that they forgot to cite sources, so technically it's plagiarism. I didn't take it as a bad faith effort of passing off someone else's work as their own. Otherwise I would agree, I don't think they'd treat the situation so flippantly.
I don't know, the line "at this rate, the only original part of this thesis is your name" implies the issue is not just failing to cite sources, but having no original thoughts or contributions - maybe it's exaggeration for humor's sake, but I definitely did not read this as simply forgetting to cite sources. Regardless, it's so flippant and playful it feels like it was written as a joke, maybe even written to make a meme, hence it doesn't feel like a real email.
That's true
It's not "flippantly" - the reviewer's opinion is there, and the whole message is just a "get your shit together", but in a more polite and ironical form. It's not an official or final review yet, but if I would receive it, I'd get the idea of what happens when the paper is officialy submitted.
This is the second post today with an over-the-top reply to a student named Faith but yeah could be real
Sounds like you would be shocked by the reality if the situation.
who signs an email with "first supervisor"?
it could be an internal organizational title, but it definitely doesn't sound like an academic position and not a part of a normal email signature either
Just to muddy the waters, I worked with a guy who had "system administrator level XII" in his email signature and one of the teammates asked him about it. His response was that he just put that in to see if anyone noticed and occasionally bumps the number up when he feels like it's about time to do so.
So you never know when someone stuck a private joke into their email signature like that. Heck when I was brought back to my role I was never given a clear job title so I just put the most accurate job title I could think of in my signature of "IT Contractor"