When a colleague or peer asks you to write them a reference letter, it can feel like both an honor and a challenge. You want to help them succeed, but crafting a strong reference letter requires more ...

Shortly after becoming a full professor, I asked a colleague who had held that rank for years to name the greatest challenge she had faced in this ultimate chapter of faculty life. Her instant reply: ...

Undergraduates need them for graduate-school applications; PhD students and postdocs use them to apply for fellowships and jobs; senior scientists often have to have them to apply for awards and ...