The Philosophers' Cocoon

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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2026-27)

  2. The typesetting at Political Philosophy looks atrocious (esp. compared to how it looked at JPP).

  3. I hate endnotes too, so annoying to scroll back and forth and remember the note number and page number, especially…

  5. Well, I’m not sure that anyone outside philosophy is reading any of my papers. It’s not crazy. But it doesn’t…

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  • Journal typesetting issues?

    In our August “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    In some journals the published articles look crisp and elegant, but in some other journals the typesetting is underwhelming and sometimes even ugly or unprofessional-looking.

    I know that it’s a little bit silly, but I can’t help but to take it into consideration when choosing where to submit my work, especially considering that people outside of academic philosophy don’t really know the difference between journals and the appearance might be their main subconscious indicator of how “serious” the publication is. Am I the only one who feels like this? I’ve used it as a tie breaker when deciding between journals that are prestige-equivalent and I’ve almost been tempted to take it as reason to submit a bit lower before. Am I crazy?

    I’ve definitely noticed this: there’s a publication or two of mine that I can barely stomach to read due to the typesetting. But I don’t think this has ever impacted where I submit.

    Any thoughts from other readers?

    4

  • How do search committees weight published books (and presses)?

    In our August “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    I keep hearing how when it comes to books, those published in top presses like OUP and CUP are the only ones that might impress a search committee. But how much weight do these actually have on the job market?

    What the OP has heard about books may or may not be true of hiring committees at prestigious R1s (though I don’t know for sure)–but I definitely don’t think it’s true as a generalization. My sense is that at less prestigious places (including many liberal arts colleges and universities), committees can look favorably upon good books published well outside of “top presses” like OUP and CUP. But I’d love to hear others’ impressions.

    What do readers think? It would be great to hear from people who have served on search committees, as well as present and/or past job-candidates.

    9

  • Is it problematic to use the same argument to defend different theses in different papers?

    In our August “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    Is it self-plagiarism or otherwise unethical to send out for publication two different pieces, to two different journals, if they argue for different theses in different subfields, but both use the same underlying bit of reasoning to justify their conclusion? That is, the key move, the “ace-in-the-hole” argument that does the most justificatory work, is the same in both of them?

    I guess I think it’s sort of hard to say without seeing the actual papers–as (I think) I can imagine cases like this that aren’t problematic but also cases that may be (e.g., cases where two papers are basically the same but with minor differences in conclusions defended). These latter types of cases might run afoul of journal policies that papers must not be under review elsewhere, or alternatively (if one paper ends up being published before the other), journal policies that prohibit submitting a paper that contains a significant amount of content that has already been published.

    What do readers think?

    9

  • How do you divide up your reading time?

    In our August “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

    I’m curious about how you divide your reading time among the following categories: readings directly related to your research; readings out of your philosophical curiosity but not related to your research; non-philosophical readings; and other types, if any. What percentages do you usually give to each?

    I am a junior faculty member at a teaching oriented school. My research time is limited. When I have extra time, I always feel guilty if I do not read things related to my research. But I also have other interests, philosophical or not. So I am curious how you approach this.

    Great question! I mostly read whatever interests me in my free time: historical biographies, popular science, etc. But what I’m interested in often relates in some way to my philosophical interests and research (or ends up doing so later on), so I don’t end up “feeling guilty” about it. I typically only read philosophy articles or books when I have an idea for a paper, a project already in progress, or when I just happen upon something that interests me. I’m not sure about percentages. I think it changes a lot.

    What about readers? How do you divide up your reading time?

    6