The Philosophers' Cocoon

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

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  • Publishing in the same journal?

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

    Is it weird to have 2 of my first 5 publications in the same (top 20) generalist journal? To add context, my other publications are in specialist journals, and my reason for considering placing a second paper in the same generalist journal is that it seems (from a series of many desk-rejections) that it’s the only one that takes my specialty seriously.

    I don’t think anyone is likely to bat an eyelash at this, though I seem to recall hearing at one point in the past that if a lot of your publications are in the same journal, it might look fishy for some reason.

    What do readers think?

    12

  • Thoughts on the Journal of the APA?

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

    What do people think about Journal of the APA nowadays? It seemed like people were excited about it when it first came out but then the excitement died down.

    It felt to me like there was an exciting movement of creating journals “for philosophers by philosophers” with JAPA, Ergo and Phil Imprint, but the latter two seem to have left JAPA in the dust. Is that what other people think too?

    I published an article in JAPA back in 2019, and recall being a big fan of its editorial statement (which I can’t seem to find now), though some pared down language appears here:

    The Journal is committed to publishing papers that break new ground, papers from both early-career and established philosophers, papers on topics that draw from and appeal to diverse philosophical constituencies and traditions, papers that can be appreciated by philosophers not already steeped in the subject matter.

    Alas, I don’t read any particular journals regularly, so I don’t feel well-positioned to compare JAPA to other journals.

    What do readers think?

    4

  • Does accepting a teaching-heavy position affect your ability to obtain a research job?

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

    I am wondering if it’s really true that placing in a teaching-heavy position affects one’s perceived career trajectory so much that they’re effectively out of the running for more research-heavy positions in the future. This post on trajectory seems to say just that, but it only relies on anecdotal evidence, and it only got one corroborating comment: https://philosopherscocoon.com/2018/07/10/mid-career-reflections-part-6-trajectory-matters/

    To me, it does seem like such a placement would make your application to research-heavy institutions a bit less competitive, but that can be counterbalanced by maintaining an active research program in reputable journals. But maybe I’m overly optimistic.

    I appreciate the OP raising this issue, and suspect there are more than a few readers who would be interested in knowing better answers than the earlier post and discussion were able to provide.

    What do readers think? Have any readers been able to move from a teaching-heavy position to a job at a research university? Or, if you ended up at a teaching-focused job, did you find yourself wanting to leave but “stuck” there despite maintaining an active research program in reputable journals?

    10

  • How important is having a digital profile (& professional website)?

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

    I’m curious how important it really is to have some sort of digital profile. Like how important is it to have a professional website? Are hiring committees really googling an applicant’s name and looking through what all that applicant has posted there (over and above what that applicant has already provided in an application)? Or is it really a networking tool that gets people references more so than, say, just networking at conferences?

    I don’t know, but I suspect that some people on hiring committees may look more into a candidate this way whereas others may not. Whether it makes any difference one way or the other, though, I have no idea.

    What do readers think? Any inside insights from search committee members?

    11