Guidelines for Letters of Recommendation

As the letter of recommendation season begins for faculty members and graduate students in MLA fields, don’t forget that the MLA has a new set of guidelines for writers, readers, and requesters of letters of recommendation. Faculty members can refer to the document if they want to explain why they are keeping their letters short and not detailing dissertation projects that candidates themselves will describe in the letter of application; job candidates can find advice on how many letters to request and what materials the recommenders will find helpful; and department chairs can find suggestions for how to describe requirements for letters of recommendation in job ads. We encourage you to read the guidelines and to share them with colleagues.