Academic papers of supervisor, PhD interview, reading other papers

[binbagsss]

Is it ok to refer to a papers published by a different academic, or should i mainly be talking about my potential supervisor's published papers in my interview?

thanks

 

[Choppy]

If they're relevant to the field and the research topic you're exploring, of course you can talk about other papers in the field. I'm not sure you would want a person as a supervisor who would be upset that you're reading someone else's work in addition to his or her own.

 

[binbagsss]

If they're relevant to the field and the research topic you're exploring, of course you can talk about other papers in the field. I'm not sure you would want a person as a supervisor who would be upset that you're reading someone else's work in addition to his or her own.

thank you for your answers. i have come across an article some 16 years ago that I probably find more interestng then the direction of his current work, is it a bad idea to mention this or not?

 

[Choppy]

thank you for your answers. i have come across an article some 16 years ago that I probably find more interestng then the direction of his current work, is it a bad idea to mention this or not?

In general it's okay to talk about other work that's happening or that has happened in the field. I probably wouldn't *lead* with "I really want to do something that's in a different direction from what you're working on," but it's okay to mention your interests and discuss them in the context of the direction of your own work. Remember your goal in this interview is not only to gain admission into the program, but to find out if this person is the right supervisor for you.

 

[ZapperZ]

thank you for your answers. i have come across an article some 16 years ago that I probably find more interestng then the direction of his current work, is it a bad idea to mention this or not?

Not being familiar with this "PhD interview", what exactly is the purpose here?

My recollection in chatting with a few PhDs from Europe seem to indicate that this is where you describe why you want to work with such a person. So if this is still true in your case, then I do not understand why telling your potential supervisor that you want to work on something else other than what he/she is working is a positive thing. I mean, it makes no sense to want to work for someone and yet, not do what he/she is doing. Why can't you choose someone else that's working in that area that you're interested in?

BTW, it is OK to mention papers by other authors, but IF your potential supervisor has also published papers in the same area and closely related to what you are citing, but you fail to mention it as well, this is BAD form. So please be sure that you've done an extensive literature search to make sure that you are not ignoring this person and citing someone else instead.

Zz.

 

[EngWiPy]

In academia using others works isn't a sin, on the contrary it is encouraged, but I think you need to find a way through his research direction and interests. Presumably you have chosen this professor for a reason. If you have your own fund, maybe you will have more flexibility with the research topic. But if he is funding your research, then probably you will have a specific framework to do research in. Also, when you publish a paper on a peer reviewed conference/journal, you need to be familiar with the most recent works in the field, and the majority of your references must be up-to-date. Good luck