A Mentoring Opportunity: A Joint Effort in Writing Letters of Recommendation

ABSTRACT

Integrity in writing letters of recommendation is important to academic research because it is an influential criterion used pervasively in peer review. While research in the integrity of recommendation letters has concentrated on contents of the letter, bias, and reliability, few have questioned the process of letter writing. Here, I argue that letter writing should be a joint opportunity between mentor/supervisor/advisor and trainee. It results in more compelling letters, may prevent errors and the use of biased language, and serves as an excellent mentoring opportunity promoting self-reflection.

KEYWORDS:

• Letters of recommendation
• mentoring
• peer review
• plagiarism
• RCR education and instruction
• research integrity

Acknowledgments

This commentary is dedicated to my doctoral supervisor, Dr. Daniel J. Dumont, who first taught me how to write letters of recommendation. I would like to thank Drs. Bryn Williams-Jones, Holger Breithaupt, and David Resnik, as well as the anonymous peer reviewer for valuable feedback.