How can we help you? (July 2024)

Now that it's been a couple of months since our last "how can we help you?" thread, it's time for a new one.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series, this is a chance for you to post openly or anonymously in the comments section below on anything you could use help with related to the profession. After you post your query in the comments section, I will then post new threads for readers to discuss your query. 

As usual, feel free to ask questions on anything (within the Cocoon's mission) that you could use help with, including but not limited to:

• The job-market (applying for jobs, etc.)
• Issues in the profession (including issues of social justice)
• Graduate school
• Publishing
• Teaching (including in the age of A.I.)
• Work-life balance
• Mental health & well-being
• Personal struggles
• Etc.

Ask away - we're here to help! 

Finally, a quick reminder of the following NEW RULE: in the past, I have allowed people to submit follow-up comments to queries in these threads, and sometimes included those comments in new posts on this thread's queries. Given the number of comments and replies that are submitted, this has become infeasible for me to keep track of. So, please only submit queries in the thread below, not responses to queries already submitted. If you'd like to respond to a query, please wait until I actually post on the person's query myself and comment in that thread instead!

Comments

[Two Body Problem]

I'm curious if others have advice on some of the difficult feelings that can arise from feeling responsible for family member relocations. I recently got a job (yay!), which led my partner and I to move from a place we really liked to a place that we're still trying to figure out. The only reason we are in this place is because of my job, which is difficult in and of itself, but I find myself also feeling guilty for taking us away from the place we liked, as well as some burden for making our new place good for both of us.

My partner certainly had a say in where I applied for work and, ultimately, in whether we would move or not. There's just no easy way to be married to an academic though! Given how much my partner cares about my well-being, and how supportive they are of my dreams, it was pretty much a no-brainer that I would take the job that I did. So it's not like I feel like I "forced" the move to happen, exactly, but it still kind of feels like it would have been a pretty difficult veto.

Anyway, if you've had these sorts of emotions (or others!), I'd love hear about them, even if you never really found a cure.

[book]

How does one go about submitting a book proposal?

I have heard various tales: folks who got in touch with editors with just a brief paragraph pitch, to garner interest, and then waited to see if the editor wanted more, and then sent more; folks who didn't seek a publisher until a full manuscript draft was written; some who submitted a 10 page or so synopsis + a chapter; and so on.

In general I'd really like to know how people have gone about the early stages of book publication.

[uncertain grad student]

I'm in a phd program that has recently had a lot of turnover and department issues. While I am done with coursework and have a relatively clear path to finishing my dissertation, I worry about further developments and obstacles that are both unforeseeable (in their specifics) and out of my control as a grad student. Each time there is a new instance of bad news, I go through a new cycle of anxiety about whether it will be viable to finish in the program and whether that particular development will have any bearing on my job prospects.

Does anyone have any advice on how to both a) deal with this kind of anxiety as a grad student and b) try and better identify what kinds of developments I should take seriously as reasons to consider searching for ways to transition out of graduate school? I think (b) is a more pressing issue, as there are plenty of things that decrease the quality of intellectual environment without threatening my ability to finish in my program or decreasing my chances of finding a job. Plus, figuring out (b) will contribute to figuring out (a).

[Tenure question]

Suppose:
A job advertises for an AOS in ethics, and AOC in epistemology.
My AOSes are broader: Ethics & metaphysics
My AOCs are broader: epistemology & X-phi

Will only publications in ethics (and perhaps epistemology) count towards tenure?
-Will metaphysics count?
-Will x-phi count?
-Will anything outside these fields count?

[Dear Committee Members]

Advice for someone becoming a department chair? (Small department, small school, if that matters.)

[belonging]

How common is it to feel the lack of a sense of belonging (to the profession of philosophy)? How do you handle it?

I am a mid-career (tenured but not "senior" if it makes sense) philosopher at a small, non-elite school. My job is teaching-oriented, and teaching takes most of my time. I have published maybe 1 article per year on average. I have had less and less a sense of belonging in recent years. I occasionally saw posts here complaining about the unpaid work (and overwork) in the profession. I feel like, "I am sorry for your experience but, hey, I feel jealous in an odd way!"

For example, I have not received any invitation to give a talk or to attend a workshop anywhere. I receive review requests probably like 2-3 times per year. My department does not have a graduate program, and I never served as an external member for a thesis committee. I have received one book review request (which I declined because I did not have time). When I was at APA meetings, I was not part of any already-established circles, and I usually ended up talking with some graduate students who were similarly lost and awkward.

Maybe this is just a fact for me to accept. I am introvert and I do not like (and almost have never done) self-promoting. I am curious, though, is there any way to create some sense of belonging other than publishing more articles/books as a way to let others know you?

[conflicts]

Thoughts about how to successfully navigate a small department with preexisting internal conflicts? (I'm a mid-career, tenured philosopher, fairly new to the place.) I'd prefer not to say more to avoid identification--though sadly, this description probably fits a few institutions.

[Anna]

What's the protocol for taking time off for special events like weddings when you're a VAP or lecturer scheduled to teach on those days? Do you just figure out yourself how to handle those missed days (i.e., by pre-recording lectures or having synchronous Zoom lectures) or do you have to run it by your department chair?

While we're on the topic, what's the protocol for taking a few days off to attend or speak at a conference or an invited talk?

[awkwardatoxford]

How is the Oxford Bphil regarded by American PhD admissions committees? In particular, how are BPhil grades/marks and transcripts regarded by American PhD admissions committees?

Standard advice for applying to philosophy PhD programs is to get *stellar* grades and straight A's in philosophy, and if not, to do an MA afterwards...and to definitely show no decline in your grade trajectory.

The particularities of the Oxford BPhil makes it hard to interpret this advice because:

1. In theory, marks range from 0-100, with marks above 65 "merit", marks above 70 "low distinction", above 75 "middle distinction" and above 85 "high distinction." In practice, virtually nothing is given a mark above 72, and there is a very high variance in marks...with a "Distinction" awarded for the degree as a whole for any candidate whose five highest essay marks average above a 67 average and whose thesis is marked 70 or higher...

2. People don't talk openly about grades on the BPhil because it has a pretty atomized and zero-sum competition culture...but if a transcript with grades below 70 (or, 75?) is considered blemished, it is difficult to understand how so many BPhil grads seem to get into good to excellent American PhD programs given that average BPhil marks are between 65 and 70 across the cohort, but almost everyone in the BPhil from the US coming with a near perfect transcript, often from unambiguously elite schools. Did we all sort of screw ourselves by incurring this transcript risk on the BPhil?

So, how are BPhil transcripts interpreted by US graduate admissions committees?

What is a Bphil transcript equivalent to an American MA 3.9 (or, whatever the defacto cut-off is before a transcript requires explanation)?

[AC]

Hi all,

I was wondering whether you knew if there was a specific place on this website with discussion of A.I. in education where there are resources/links that might be useful? I've looked around and can't find anything (maybe I'm not searching properly and if so apologies in advance -- I haven't used this site for a long time)

Thanks.

[junior supervisor]

How can junior faculty become good supervisors, especially when the students they are supervising are not optimistic/enthusiastic about their degrees?

I am tenure-track faculty in a department which requires regular supervision of MA and PhD students. I care deeply about philosophy and about my students, but many of my students seem unable to prioritize their own research and writing - indeed, several seem indifferent to their own thesis (even while expressing sorrow and regret at not being more productive/better philosophers). I have tried various things, including being very involved, very uninvolved, and strategies I experienced as a PhD student myself. Nothing seems to be working. The quality and quantity of work is not commensurate with what they (or I) expect/believe possible.

I know the job market is tough. I know that many grad students need to take paying work elsewhere, have family obligations, etc., and I am not unsympathetic - grad school is pretty recent for me, so I remember. None of this changes the fact that they are in this program and I need to help them get through it with a good, well-written thesis/dissertation. I worry that I am not doing the right thing(s) to help my supervisees (maybe it is a matter of time and experience, but I don't want to short-change my current supervisees while I learn how to be a better supervisor!). Any insights would be much appreciated!

[Frustrated]

What is the highest number of rejections you’ve ever received on a single paper? I have a paper that is now on its seventh rejection- not even an R&R. I’ve gotten some useful feedback. And I genuinely try to improve the paper in light of it. But I mostly find the reviewer comments to be trivial, misunderstand the paper, sometimes conflicting, or else unhelpful.

[PI]

I'm working my way through the European grant system, and I have finally reached a stage in my career, where I'll be PI of a small research team. However, it is very difficult to find advice on how to run a research team in the humanities. I was hoping that some of the other readers have some advice to offer based on their own experience either as principal investigators or postdocs.

Any advice is welcome. What worked well and what didn't? I would particularly welcome advice on which kinds of research activities have been successful in fostering collaboration among team members, and how PIs have managed to both maintain a clear focus for the group as a whole while allowing the postdocs to develop their own independent research trajectories.

[Literally Lateraling]

I know that there has been some discussion of how to "lateral" to other institutions, for instance to be able to research/teach more. My question is whether others have experience lateraling solely based on geography. If someone wanted to end up in NYC, for instance, would there be particular strategies that are worthwhile? Perhaps targeted outreach to schools in NYC? Emailing faculty in the area and getting to know their interests?

I'd love to hear from anyone who has done a geographically targeted attempt at lateraling!

[Step 1]

Very basic question: When do post-doc and job positions generally appear in the North American cycle?

[Tempted but Apprehensive Alien]

I would love to hear about the experiences of philosophers from outside the US who moved to the US with a family.

Those who relocated with a family, did your family move to the US with you? Do they also work in the US, or have you found that you can be the "sole breadwinner" in a TT job? If your spouse does work, how have they adjusted to the US employment "benefits"? (The poor parental leave and vacation allowance in the US sounds like a worry for spouses in non-academic positions - especially if they're used to more generous allowances in their home country). And how does your spouse manage continuous employment alongside Employment Authorization Documents that need to be renewed every year?

Thanks for the help!

[dissertation]

How important is the dissertation for jobs? Do people on hiring committees even read them or should I focus my writing sample and getting published?

[Needs Writing Help STAT!]

Does anyone have any insight on their experiences moving from term papers to publishable work? I'm having trouble determining what good philosophical writing looks like and how/what I can do to improve the writing (and ideas).

[Open-minded]

Hi. Does anybody have advice on potential international relocations with a partner? I'm planning to apply for a phd program in North America and after that get back to my country (China). The problem is that my partner has a good job now and she prefers not to move. So I'd like to hear some advice on how realistic it is to get a temporal living in another country like the US, or advice on the predictable troubles on the horizon that we should really not get ourselves into.
Thanks a lot.

[A]

How do you handle editors and reviewers from cross-disciplinary journals not understanding philosophical style and research (and rejecting a paper because it's more of an "opinion piece" rather than what their discipline deems "research" or because they consider the use of first-person pronouns "informal")? This is a pattern I've noticed especially among reviewers with a computer science background, but I'm sure it's not limited to them.

[curious about the numbers]

Could we maybe have a thread in which search committee members anonymously describe the quantitative results of their job searches from last year? I'm wondering how many people applied and how many were interviewed, etc. Of course, tenure-line searches are most interesting, but I'm also curious about non-TT searches like those for VAPs and Assistant Teaching Professors.

[Cara]

How to make rejections easier? After years in the game I still get a gut punch when I get a paper rejected. Does anyone have tips for reducing this in advance (I guess I mean actionable tips while the paper is under review, not longer term ones like get therapy and don't tie your self esteem to your work…).

[A]

What counts as a "good" generalist journal? I am an MA student and have recently had a R&R from a well-known although not Top journal (the lower end of the Leiter Top 20) after being encouraged to submit by a professor. This is my first publication, and this was the first venue I submitted the paper to. After having read some posts (on here and elsewhere) about the importance of publications in top journals, I am now concerned that simply being in the top 20 does not mean that this venue is well-regarded enough, and a publication there may be looked on poorly during PhD applications. Am I overthinking, or should I really be aiming only for top 10ish journals?

[Night Owl]

For those of you with jobs - how easy is it to get out of teaching classes early in the morning (8-9am)? I am a PhD student who has had to teach at 8am and I didn't enjoy it (I'm a night owl and think it's just genetic). I would genuinely want to know more about the flexibility of the teaching schedule before accepting a job somewhere - would asking questions like that be frowned upon or hurt my candidacy? Does this vary a lot from school to school?

[Messenger]

Is it possible, or generally considered acceptable, to reply to a referee's comments if (i) the referee recommended rejection, (ii) the referee's recommendation was based on an obvious misinterpretation or factual error, and (iii) the journal acted on the referee's recommendation?

Background: I submitted a manuscript responding to author A, and a referee claimed that I had attributed a view to A that A does not hold. But A does hold the relevant view, and my statement of A's view is provably equivalent to A's. (Indeed, my statement of A's view is barely even paraphrased.) It was clear to me that the referee had not read the relevant passages of A's work before writing their report, even though I identified these passages for them in a footnote. I am concerned that the same referee will be invited by other journals to review my manuscript and will once again recommend rejection if they are not made aware of this error.

[USG infiltrator]

I just started a TT job that came with modest professional development startup funds. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations on how to spend startup funds in ways that support research (beyond the obvious ones, such as buying books or memberships to professional orgs). Namely, I'm looking for suggestions for software, tools, etc., that people feel helped them become more productive as researchers. Thank you in advance!

[tyler]

Any thoughts about this situation: There are only 2 (at best, 3) top journals in business ethics: JBE and BEQ. JBE has specific editors for each of many sub-fields (ethics in accounting, management, etc.). The editor of a specific sub-field at JBE desk-rejects an article without much explanation (e.g. it's too abstract). So the author of the article wants to send it instead to BEQ. Here's the issue: the policy at BEQ is that they will send articles out for review to their many editors, depending on their specialty. Among the editors at BEQ, who should we find (of course) but the same editor from BJE who already rejected the article for BJE.
Is it normal for the same guy to be in a position to reject one's article twice for the 2 top journals in a field? Shouldn't he recuse himself? And if he does, what reason could he give without alerting the other editors at BEQ that the article was already rejected at another journal, and thereby causing them to think less of the article just because of that?

[G]

There have been discussions on both TT search and senior search but I do not see much about the "open rank" search. I am curious about how an "open rank" search goes. For example, when a position is advertised as "open rank", does the hiring department really mean it, or is there still some preference for a TT position? What is the context for this kind of search? Does the committee review materials separately (TT vs. Tenured) or altogether? Thank you!

[juggler]

It's going to be my first time on the job market this fall. The number of documents and the amount of work needed for each feels very over-whelming. I have also just received my first revise-and-resubmit and am not sure how to juggle both tasks along with my teaching. Should I focus my time on the R&R because I have no publications and will have a low chance on the job market or should I focus on the job market because I have a low chance of acceptance even with a R&R?

[anip]

I am sorry if this has been discussed before on the forum. I recently had a very unpleasant experience with a journal editor. It is my only second time submitting a paper to a journal and I admit that in my manuscript I was not super careful with regard to formatting (My financial situation does not allow me to hire an editor for that. But of course this should not be an excuse - I could have been more careful).. My manuscript got a desk rejection (I think?). The editor’s email seemed to have an aggresive tone (saying basically something like ‘don’t waste our time’ and implying ‘do not send a paper to us again’). How can I deal with this sort of aggresiveness? (and how can I be sure that the editor will not be prejudiced against me in the future…). I totally understand that editors are busy people and one should be very careful submitting a manuscript to a journal (e.g making sure that they adhere to journal’s rules etc). And I appreciate all the service they do. But is this kind of agressive behaviour ‘normal’? (please note that I did not get any feedback on the content/quality of my manuscript) thank you!

[Not telling for obvious reasons]

I am beginning my second year in a clinical ethics fellowship. I am very unhappy with the program as I think I am not getting what I was promised. Moreover, I do not think that I really fit in with others in the department; something I have not yet experienced throughout my education, so it is quite jarring. During my first year, I gave several talks and published two articles and two commentaries. How bad would it look if I dropped out and went on the philosophy or medical ethics or health humanities markets this fall? Should I just stick it out for another 10 months? I don't know what to do. I have fairly substantial savings, so if I got some random job working at a grocery store or whatever, I wouldn't be too worried about money. Please help

[Lei]

Could someone with a PhD in political theory from a European political science department be competitive for positions in philosophy departments? Consider a candidate who has a few publications in top-10 specialist journals in moral/political philosophy but hasn't published in other areas of philosophy.

[anon]

an editor suggested me to not succesively send papers to one journal and to wait for (at least) a few months before submitting another paper. Is this the norm in most journals? (I am new to the game and trying to make sure that I know the rules which are not indicated in the instructions) Thanks so much.

[venue]

I have heard that the venue of one's publications doesn't matter for many jobs. Is this true? I guess I have in mind TT (or otherwise permanent) positions that aren't R1 but which still have a research expectation. I am curious about this for both hiring and promotion reasons. Does publishing in, say, generalist journals outside of the top 20 or so look bad to a hiring committee? Could the venue of one's publications every be an issue for tenure or some other form of promotion? Is it better for junior members of the profession to publish anywhere rather than nowhere? Thoughts on any or all of these questions, especially from current faculty involved in these decisions, would be helpful.

[?]

Lots of people (reasonably!) have complicated feelings about couple hires – to be clear, the following questions are partly about strategy, but partly about how and whether this can be done in a transparent and upfront way.

If your goal is to get a couple hire, should both members of the couple apply for all the same jobs (when reasonable, like if both work in the same area or they’re open area searches)? If you do this, should you mention these facts in the letter?

Or should just one member of the couple apply – whoever has a better shot for whatever reason at some particular job, say, one’s from a “leiterific” program and the other isn’t, or one’s research aligns better – and bring up the partner if given an offer?

Do the answers to these questions change when there’s one job vs when a department is hiring multiple people?

[Author]

I wrote a complete book draft. It was reviewed by an editor and two referees, it received generally positive reviews with some suggestions for revisions, and I signed a contract. There is, of course, language in the contract about if the book that is delivered is deemed unacceptable, they don't have to publish it.

I'm applying for jobs. How do I list this book draft. Under "Work in Progress"? Or can I put it under forthcoming publications with something like "(under contract, revisions pending)". Would anyone care, as long as its status is clear?

[A little lost]

How many hours a day is good to work on research? I'm a couple of years into a TT job, and have a semester of research leave. So for the first time since I was a grad student, I can (theoretically) devote all my time to research.

I know not to burn out, but I'm wondering how much "serious" research time (ie, reading and writing) to expect and plan for. I tend to use the pomodoro method, working in 25 minute blocks. I was thinking 10 of those a day, meaning 250 minutes or just over 4 hours. 5 days a week that would be 20 hours a week of solid research time.

Any thoughts? Too high? Too low? Maybe I should ease myself in?

[uncertain]

How do TT hiring committees regard research stints on a CV, particularly for job openings at R1 schools? If one secures a postdoc but then becomes a research associate for several years, is that looked down upon in any way? Could it make one seem a less competitive candidate, beyond the obvious things like reduced opportunities to gain teaching experience? Also, does it matter for hiring purposes if the research position is unpaid?

[Risks and benefits]

Is it unwise to sending a polite email to an editor to inquire about the status of a manuscript with minor revisions? I am going to be on the job market this year, and deadlines are coming very soon. Given the very short turnaround time that they allotted me for the revisions, I was hoping the journal would also be relatively swift with the decision. However, the paper has been sitting at "editor assigned" for a few weeks. Given the real benefit that another publication would add to my dossier (if it were to be accepted before job deadlines), should I reach out? If it's relevant, the revisions requested were indeed minor and mostly took the form of suggestions (rather than actual objections).

[anon]

Should CVs include every talk you've given? I'm embarrassed by some older talks, and I would rather not have them on my CV if I can help it. If I did a "Selected Talks" section and listed what I think are my best talks, would that raise red flags for committees?

[Book]

What are some ways to get feedback on a potential book project? We usually present papers or book chapters at conferences, and I have never seen anyone presenting a book project. It is understandable since a presentation of a book project would probably be very general and sketchy without sufficiently substantive content. But suppose you have an idea for a book but are not sure if it is worth pursuing, and you really want some suggestions. How do you get this kind of feedback?

[Commentary Struggles]

How long should commenters spend on reading/writing commentaries for conference presentations?

[Assistant Prof]

I've said I'll write something for an edited collection, and sent in an abstract. Now the time has come to write it, I've realised that a different paper (still within the remit of the collection) would be much more interesting. Is it too late? Or would it be acceptable for me to write the other paper, rather than than the one I said I would? I don't want to make a fuss or make life difficult for the editor. But if I'm free to swap plans it would make for a much more interesting paper!

[2BodyQuestion]

Is it ethical to write a review of my spouse’s book? It’s a groundbreaking work related to my research. Is there precedent of other philosopher partners doing this?

[breakthrough?]

Some readers might remember a post I made a long while ago about how I have struggled with teaching for 10+ years, tried *all* sorts of techniques&adjustments and nothing really changed. But I think I *might* have made a breakthrough recently. The recent classes have felt different from all classes in the past, in that I observe that students became very focused during class.
The turning point was that I had to lecture on something that I didn't feel I understand well, and also didn't have the time to really figure it out, for the first time. So I just explained the literature as it is, without any layer of my original perspective or understanding. Somehow that ended up very positively. It has a consistently positive result since I followed that style. I just want to share this story with the readers of cocoon.

[breakthrough follow up?]

@breakthrough?, would you be willing to tell us a little more about what you mean, perhaps in a standalone post? As someone who is adjusting to a newly increased teaching load and is feeling very overwhelmed, this is very intriguing.

[hey]

Is it appropriate to include reappointment letters (which specifically comment on my scholarship, teaching, and service from the Chair and Dean) and teaching observations in a job application? If so, where? Teaching obs could go in a teaching portfolio I suppose...Any norms here?

[conference organizer]

I'm co-organizing a 3-day conference this summer with about 18 speakers, and we are considering parallel sessions. The upside would be more time and a less tight schedule, the downside is that quite a few people will most likely have to miss a session that they would really like to hear. (Chances are high that this would happen with parallel sessions since it's a specialist conference and I imagine the speakers will be interested in almost all of the talks.)

I then thought: we could ask speakers for their preferences about which talks they really don't want to miss, so we can optimize preferences. This would be too much work to do manually, but I imagine there must be scheduling software that optimizes preference-satisfaction. If anyone has suggestions, they'd be much appreciated!