In our newest “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:
Would it be ill-advised to use a co-authored paper for a writing sample for a TT job application? For context: I’m the lead author on the paper and did the majority of the writing and conceptualization; I have other single-authored published works (in peer-reviewed journals) which a search committee will see on my cv; the co-authored piece I’m considering sending is strong (in my view) but is currently unpublished. My thinking is that it represents my best and most current writing, and, because it is unpublished, it would only be accessible to search committees if I directly send it. Thoughts?
I seem to recall this question being asked many times at the Cocoon, with the consensus answer always being a firm no. Why? Because (or so the usual answer goes) committees want to measure a candidate’s own philosophical “chops”, and a co-authored paper isn’t the best gauge of that (since it can be hard/impossible for a committee to disentangle the applicant’s contributions from those of any coauthors). But maybe things have changed?
In any case, another reader added a further question to the mix, asking whether it makes a difference if co-authoring is common in their subfield:
I want to ask a similar question to @multi-author paper as writing sample, though in a slightly different context. I am a postdoc and will be applying to both TT and non-TT jobs this year. I have some single-authored articles. In my postdoc however I’ve ventured into a subfield in philosophy where it is more common than not to co-publish. People in my subfield understand this, but other philosophers may not (which, of course, will be the case for most people sitting on search committees). Like @multi-author paper as writing sample, I too believe that a co-authored paper where I’m the lead and responsible for the vast majority of writing is a very strong piece. Is this something I could address in my cover letter?
Do any readers have helpful insights to share?
Leave a Reply