The Philosophers' Cocoon

A safe and supportive forum for philosophers.

Owned & Moderated by Marcus Arvan (University of Tampa)

Contact: marvan@ut.edu

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

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  • When to withdraw from a journal?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    When should you withdraw a paper from consideration at a journal? I submitted a paper in early April of 2025 and it’s still “Under Review” 10 months later. I followed up with the editor after about 6 months but have had no reply. This is a good journal in my subfield but not tippy tippy top. I am tenured but still have yearly performance reviews so I do need the publication. On one hand there’s a sunk cost problem here – i have already invested almost a year waiting for this journal and I’ll have to start over at another journal. On the other hand, I may need to anyway if it’s rejected. Essentially my question is – how long should an author wait if there is no communication forthcoming from the journal?

    What do readers think?

    5

  • What to expect in meetings with faculty during on-campus visits?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    I am about to have my first campus visit. I am deeply unsure what to expect about the individual meetings with faculty. I’m usually an extrovert, but I have no clue what format these conversations take. Like a job interview? Like small talk? How does a normal conversation go? Is the expectation that I talk about research? That I ask questions about the university? That I signal interest in living there? How do I even open these conversations – or will I mostly be asked questions by the faculty? Any experiences of folks that have gone through these would be deeply appreciated!

    Do any readers have helpful tips to share?

    9

  • Listing an accepted conference presentation on a CV that one couldn’t present?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    Is it permissible to list a conference presentation on one’s CV if they had the presentation accepted to the conference, but were unable to present at the last minute? If yes, then how would one indicate that on one’s CV?

    In general, I don’t think this is a good idea. If there were some act of nature (such as a winter storm that canceled flights or COVID lockdowns, as happened a few years ago), then it could make sense, as a conference acceptance or invitation is a bona fide accomplishment. But other than that, it seems to me like the answer is “no.”

    What do other readers think?

    5

  • Norms for citing the SEP?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    What are the norms now on citing SEP entries? I was once told never to cite it, but I’ve now seen a few published articles which do. If a particularly useful SEP entry is one citation among many, would anyone bat an eye?

    One person noted in a follow-up comment that they cite the SEP regularly and it has never been a problem for them. I suspect it may only be a problem if SEP entries make up most or all of one’s references, in which case it may look like one hasn’t really researched the area.

    What do other readers think?

    9