How can we help you? (May 2017)

Seeing as it has been nearly two months since we've done a "How can we help you?" post, and we are just at the beginning of summer break (in the Northern Hemisphere at least!), I thought now might be a perfect time for one.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series, this is a chance for you to post openly or anonymously in the comments section on anything you could use help with right now as an early-career philosopher. After you post your query in the comments section, I will then post new threads for readers to discuss (and hopefully help you with!) your query.

Please do feel free to post a query on anything we can help you with--but given that it's summer, feel free to ask about "summer-y" type things, including:

• Writing/researching during the summer
• Summer teaching
• Preparing for the Fall job-market
• Etc.

So, please do fire away. Whatever it is you need help with as an early-career philosopher, we're here to help!

So, please do fire away. Whatever it is you need help with as an early-career philosopher, we're here to help!

Comments

[Anon for Obv. Reasons]

Hey Marcus and others,
I have a TT job that I have started recently, but the location is not ideal for a few reasons not worth mentioning, as well as some family issues that pressure me to be closer to home.

I love this job and my colleagues, but I think its only realistic to expect that I may want to apply for a few other jobs in a few years.
My question is this: As far as letter writers and what-not go, what does one do? Stick with her original letter writers from graduate school? Look to ask external letter writers not affiliated with either her graduate school or her place of employment? Or would it be ideal to get letters from her place of employment, despite the fact that this would involve admitting that she's looking for a different position?

And regardless of what the right answer is to these questions, what other things should she do to keep her letter writers updated for if/when she goes on the market?

(I realize this is a first world problem wrapped within a first world problem encased by a first world problem. I am very lucky, and I would be very lucky even to keep my current job for the rest of my life. So don't take my questions as coming from a place of entitlement or some such!)

[Marcus Arvan]

Anon.f.O.R: Great query - I will post a thread to discuss it tomorrow morning!

[lategrad]

Hi Marcus,

I'm wondering if anyone can give advice on how to hide your paper from Googling by referees. I have recently noticed that my website gets a huge spike in traffic right after I submit a paper--even to a triple-blind journal. (Of course, at any journal, the googler may just be the editor, which is not as bad as it being the referees.) Plus, there's all this independent testimony that it's a common practice.

Anyway, I think the problem is very acute for those of us on the market (as I will be in the fall). Think of all the places a job candidate will have a paper's info:(1) under a research tab on the website, (2) in an "Under Review" section on one's CV, which is on one's website, (3) in a research statement or dissertation abstract, which is on one's website (even if the titles aren't there, often a candidate will describe his/her papers there--and that will show up when someone Googles phrases from the paper).

I'm finding it hard to scrub not only titles but even paper descriptions from all those places. Any advice?

[Marcus Arvan]

lategrad: excellent query - I'll post on it tomorrow morning!

[NK]

I think it would be helpful to hear from those who've done some refereeing about how they approach the task. For early-career people like me, that would help both with refereeing, which we're just starting to do, and with publication, since it would give some insight into what referees are thinking.

But I'm thinking it would be especially helpful if the focus were on the kinds of things you ask yourself about papers you review, the kinds of things you remind yourself to do when reviewing, and so on. (For example, how do you figure out whether the fact that *you* disagree with something an author says constitutes a [perhaps defeasible] reason to reject?)

[Marcus Arvan]

NK: Excellent topic for discussion! I'll get a post together on it tomorrow as well.