Jeffrey S. Rosenthal's Policy on Letters of Recommendation

• I can only write you a recommendation if I know you reasonably well, e.g. I taught you in a class or supervised you on a project. Please do not ask me for a recommendation if I do not know you well.
• If you want me to write you a recommendation, then please first ask me (by e-mail is fine) -- including telling me when your deadline(s) are. I reserve the right to decline.
• I prefer to have at least a few weeks (after receiving all the materials described below) to write your recommendation. I may bend this requirement a little, but the earlier you ask me, the better.
• In the event that you require multiple recommendations (e.g. for multiple institutions, or multiple scholarships), be sure to inform me of this with your initial request, and to provide information about all of the recommendations together. (It is much easier for me to write multiple recommendations all at once.)
• Except in very special circumstances, I will write only confidential letters of recommendation, not open letters. (It is virtually impossible to be honest and unbiased in a non-confidential letter!) So, please assist me in maintaining confidentiality by waiving your right with universities to examine your recommendation letters, and by arranging for me to send my recommendations directly to the institutions (either by web, or by e-mail, or by hardcopy) rather than giving them to you.
• If I know you well, then I usually will not need to talk to you before completing your recommendation. However, in some circumstances I may wish to discuss your studies and future plans with you. I will contact you if this is the case.
• If I agree to write you a recommendation, then please supply me with the following materials:
  • Clear information about the place(s) to which you are applying, and the deadline(s) by which I must complete the recommendation(s), and whether my recommendation should be web-based, or by e-mail (provide the e-mail address), or by hardcopy (provide addressed envelopes for me to use; you do not need to provide stamps).
  • Any special recommendation "instructions" which were provided by the school/job to which you are applying.
  • Up-to-date copies of all of your university transcripts. To repeat: ALL, not just the most recent ones. (An unofficial photocopy or printout or copy-and-paste is okay, but make sure it includes your NAME.) This should also include a list of all courses that you are currently taking.
  • A copy of whatever other relevant information you have about yourself, such as a C.V. and/or a "Statement of Research Plans" and/or your GRE scores and/or the parts of the application that you have already prepared about yourself. (You do not need to prepare any additional written materials just for me, but you should give me whatever you already have. Preliminary drafts are okay.)
  • Your e-mail address and phone number, in case I need to ask you anything further.
  Either put hardcopies of all of the above materials into a single large-sized envelope (with your name written on the outside) and give it to me, OR you may e-mail me the materials in plain text or postscript or pdf format (preferably with easily-identifiable filenames without spaces, e.g. "SmithTranscript.pdf"). You should not e-mail Microsoft Word documents.
• For schools using web-based applications, you should then list me as a reference in your application so that I will hopefully receive an automatic e-mail requesting my recommendation. (Be sure to waive your right to examine the recommendation; see above.)
• Once you have completed all of the above, and everything is all ready for me to go ahead and complete all of your recommendations at once, then please e-mail me again to inform me of this. In this e-mail, please also remind me when is your earliest application deadline (hopefully at least a few weeks later).
• If you complete all of the above in a timely manner, then I will probably manage to complete your recommendation(s) by the deadline(s). However, it doesn't hurt for you to check on this, by e.g. enquiring about the arrival of my recommendation with the school/job to which you are applying, or (if necessary) by e-mailing me around the deadline to make sure I've sent the recommendation.
• If any of the above is not clear, then you may e-mail me for clarification.
• Note: I usually shred confidential documents once I am through with them. So, if you require new recommendations at a later date, then please repeat the above procedure in its entirety.

-- Jeffrey S. Rosenthal (contact me)