The Philosophers' Cocoon

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

  1. When is it time to pull a paper and resubmit at a different journal. I’m a postdoctoral researcher. I’ve had…

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  • AI … or “referee speak”?

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

    I have just received, hot on the heels of each other and two in one batch, three negative-to-relatively negative (two reject, one major revisions) referee reports that all incorporated, near the beginning, a sentence containing the exact phrase “in its current form”. The gist was always ‘the paper is interesting [another exact word], but cannot be accepted/does not succeed/etc. IN ITS CURRENT FORM’. Is this some kind of AI signal or something? If it was just two I think i’d have made less of it, but three in the course of three weeks is bugging me out. I don’t recall seeing this exact language ever, or at least with such frequency. Anybody else seen this phrase, or this type of sentence in a referee report? Is this just well-known referee speak?

    I think these are pretty common things for referees to write. Indeed, I think I’ve written more than a few reports which say a paper is interesting but not publishable in its “present form.” So, it very much could be referees. At the same time, receiving three reports in a row that say exactly the same thing might send up yellow flags for me too, given recent discussions of referees using AI.

    What do readers think?

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  • Handling/explaining ongoing serious medical issues on the job-market?

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

    I’m a PhD student in the US. I was supposed to go on the market last year, but unfortunately developed a very serious health condition, for which I’ve been receiving treatment (lots of surgery etc). I’ve basically been fully off work for the last 12 months, although I’ve stayed enrolled as a student for visa / health insurance reasons (fortunately my department has been very understanding). My condition is stable, so I’m hoping to apply for jobs this Fall.

    I’m wondering if people have advice on whether to disclose this leave of absence to hiring committees / ask my letter writers to mention it? On the one hand, I want to explain why I’ve been so unproductive in the last year. I would also require some disability-related accommodations if I was offered a flyout. On the other hand, I don’t want departments to see my health as a risk to my productivity going forward, especially since it probably is(!) — the situation is unfortunately still very uncertain, and will require at least three more major surgeries in the next couple of years.

    I would welcome all thoughts, especially from those doing the hiring! I’m also curious to hear from other people who’ve been through prolonged medical sagas at this stage of their careers.

    Do any readers have any helpful insights or experiences to share?

    8

  • What is a competitive publication record for new philosophy PhDs?

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

    I’m currently a PhD student at a PGR top-15 department. Given the current job market situation, I’m wondering what a realistic publication record should look like by the time I graduate. Roughly how many journal publications would be enough to be competitive? I already have one paper published in Synthese. My minimum hope is to secure a postdoc, though of course a tenure-track job would be ideal. What should I aim for from here?

    What do readers think?

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  • Do conference presentations matter on the job market?

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

    Do conferences matter at all on the job market? I’m a grad student and I feel like I hear such a wide range of perspectives on this topic. Some people say they’re important, but only for practicing giving talks and networking, some people say it’s a red flag if an applicant has no conferences but not a “plus” if they do, and others seem to think that some of the fancier conferences are a boost. Part of the rationale for this question is that I’ve definitely been encouraged to put a lot of effort into applying for and attending conferences, and I’m wondering if this is a good use of one’s time as a grad student.

    Another reader seconded the query:

    I’ve been wondering about this too! I’d also like to know what “level” of conference is considered enough. Are graduate conferences sufficient? And are big, crowded conferences like the APA meetings or the Joint Session actually helpful for the job market?

    I could be wrong, but my sense is that–perhaps with a few special exceptions–conference presentations matter very little (if at all) as an item on one’s CV. When it comes to research, my sense is that committees care vastly more about publications, the writing sample, and (in some cases) recommendation letters. This isn’t to say that conference presentations aren’t important, however. I think they are. They can be a great way to get feedback on one’s work, practice giving talks–and yes, networking can be important on the market. But these are just my thoughts.

    What do readers think?

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