The Philosophers' Cocoon

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Contact: marvan@ut.edu

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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
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  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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  • What does promotion to full prof. require?

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

    What’s it normally take to be promoted from associate to full professor? Is it normal to go up within only a few years time of being promoted to associate? Do external letters carry as much weight? Is a book necessary? Any guidance whatsoever would be appreciated.

    These are all great questions–but my sense is that the answers to them may differ greatly across institution types (R1s, R2s, SLACs, community colleges), locations (US vs. elsewhere), and even across individual institutions of the same type (depending on the faculty handbook and local norms). That said, I think it would be helpful to hear from readers to get a general sense of what is expected at their institution.

    Do readers have any insights to share? If possible, please share what type of institution you are at and the country your institution is in.

    6

  • Call for applications: undergraduate & high school debate competition

    A reader writes in:

    I am a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia and founder of Inference Studios, a philosophy YouTube channel featuring interviews with Graham Oppy, Duncan Pritchard, Joshua Knobe, and David Christensen.

    I am hosting the first Inference Studios International Philosophy Tournament this August — an international undergraduate and high school philosophy debate competition with judges from the University of Oxford, UC Irvine, and Brown University and a $1,000 prize.This event is also serving as an official beneficiary partner of Show Racism the Red Card, an anti-racism organization in football.

    I thought this might be of interest to Philosophers’ Cocoon readers. 

    Applications close July 29th and the competition is free to enter.

    Application link: https://forms.gle/1iEDQW8YeAFNztBn7

    0

  • Are incremental papers rejected by journals less than bold ones?

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

    Looking back through my submission history, I noticed a pattern: my incremental papers on well-trodden topics received far fewer rejections and much more sympathetic referee reports than my attempts to defend bold, ambitious, or unprecedented claims.

    I’m curious whether this is just my anecdotal experience or a more general pattern in academic publishing. And there’s a related, more pragmatic question I’d welcome thoughts on: should early-career philosophers who need publications to survive avoid writing ambitious papers defending unprecedented claims? Curious to hear others’ experiences.

    Interesting question, and I too am curious to hear from others. I haven’t kept a thorough record of my submission history, but my sense is that things have been the opposite for me. I’ve seemed to have more trouble placing incremental papers (perhaps because they’re less interesting?)

    What about other readers?

    11

  • Info on changes at PPR & Nous?

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

    Anyone knows about the editorial changes at PPR and/or Nous? They recently shifted their November opening date early to August (it’s on their submission portal). In the meantime they also seem to have been overwhelmed by backlogs and papers awaiting decisions. A data point at the APA Journal Survey listed a 3.5-month review time for a desk-rejection, with a comment saying that they are “exceptionally busy.” I myself have paper under review for 4+ months with them; when I inquired about its status I was told that they “are struggling with a large backlog owed to increases in the volume and quality of our submissions stream,” and that they “have increased our editorial staff by 50%,” though from their website they don’t seem to have more editors than they usually do. Can anyone, perhaps recent PPR/Nous submittors, or anyone in the know, illuminate what’s going on at these places?

    It’s great to hear that both journals are opening for submissions earlier this year, as well as increasing their editorial staff. Do readers have any other helpful insights?

    11