TY - JOUR
T1 - Tips for writing a good recommendation letter
AU - Burrell, Angeline G.
AU - Jones, McArthur
AU - Zawdie, Kate A.
AU - Coxon, John C.
AU - Halford, Alexa J.
N1 - Funding information: AB, MJ, and KZ were supported by the Office of Naval Research. AH is supported by the Space Precipitation Impacts project at Goddard Space Flight Center through the Heliophysics Internal Science Funding Model. JC was supported by Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Ernest Rutherford Fellowship ST/V004883/1.
PY - 2023/1/25
Y1 - 2023/1/25
N2 - Bias exists in letters of recommendation, and it is reflected in the language used to describe and evaluate different candidates for countless opportunities in academia. Professional organizations are becoming more aware of this issue, and are pursuing avenues to address it. This paper discusses the type of information, that is, useful to have on hand when writing a recommendation letter, the structure of the letter, a process to follow for proof reading, when to say no, a compilation of additional resources, and tips for people asking for recommendation letters. Specifically, we discuss common grammar mistakes, the purpose of each portion of the letter, and ways conscious and unconscious bias can influence wording and structure. This paper is intended to provide a single place where people can go to learn all of the basics needed to write a strong recommendation letter, as currently available letter writing resources in the space physics community tend to focus on one aspect of letter writing.
AB - Bias exists in letters of recommendation, and it is reflected in the language used to describe and evaluate different candidates for countless opportunities in academia. Professional organizations are becoming more aware of this issue, and are pursuing avenues to address it. This paper discusses the type of information, that is, useful to have on hand when writing a recommendation letter, the structure of the letter, a process to follow for proof reading, when to say no, a compilation of additional resources, and tips for people asking for recommendation letters. Specifically, we discuss common grammar mistakes, the purpose of each portion of the letter, and ways conscious and unconscious bias can influence wording and structure. This paper is intended to provide a single place where people can go to learn all of the basics needed to write a strong recommendation letter, as currently available letter writing resources in the space physics community tend to focus on one aspect of letter writing.
KW - recommendation letters
KW - bias
KW - equity
KW - inclusion
KW - space physics
U2 - 10.3389/fspas.2023.1114821
DO - 10.3389/fspas.2023.1114821
M3 - Article
SN - 2296-987X
VL - 10
SP - 1
EP - 5
JO - Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
JF - Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
M1 - 1114821
ER -