Writing the perfect recommendation letter

Crafting a useful letter takes time and effort, particularly with the many demands on an academic’s time.

  1. Andy Tay
    1. Andy Tay is a freelance writer based in Singapore.

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    Undergraduates need them for graduate-school applications; PhD students and postdocs use them to apply for fellowships and jobs; senior scientists often have to have them to apply for awards and promotions. But writing an effective and personal recommendation letter can be time-consuming, especially for academics who must juggle grant applications, manuscripts, teaching and student supervision. And some might struggle to say the right things to support a former employee or student in their career move, while sounding original and unique.

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    Nature 584, 158 (2020)

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