Gender differences in recommendation letters for postdoctoral fellowships in geoscience

Dutt, Kuheli; Pfaff, Danielle L.; Bernstein, Anne E.; Dillard, Joseph S.; Block, Caryn J.

doi:10.1038/ngeo2819

Cited by 199 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

177

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Recall: these differences did not translate into any significant differences in the decisions on manuscripts. Why authors and editors, especially men, don't suggest women to review may reflect a number of factors, but it is often attributed at least in part to implicit bias 1,10 .…”

Section: Peer Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Journals invite too few women to referee

Lerback

Hanson

2017

Nature

247

222

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Peer Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Journals invite too few women to referee

Lerback

Hanson

2017

Nature

247

222

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Unconscious stereotypes persist in the minds of male and female researchers, as evident in the studies of reference letters for postdoctoral fellowships and other academic positions (Dutt, Pfaff, Bernstein, Dillard, & Block, 2016; Madera, Hebl, & Martin, 2009; Trix & Psenka, 2003). One study of recommendation letters for medical faculty positions found that letters written on behalf of females differed from those written on behalf of men in length, negative language, and gender‐linked terms.…”

Section: Increasing Contributions By Women (Sarah Hendricks and Brennmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in conservation and population genomics data analysis

Hendricks

Anderson

Antão

et al. 2018

Evolutionary Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New computational methods and next‐generation sequencing (NGS) approaches have enabled the use of thousands or hundreds of thousands of genetic markers to address previously intractable questions. The methods and massive marker sets present both new data analysis challenges and opportunities to visualize, understand, and apply population and conservation genomic data in novel ways. The large scale and complexity of NGS data also increases the expertise and effort required to thoroughly and thoughtfully analyze and interpret data. To aid in this endeavor, a recent workshop entitled “Population Genomic Data Analysis,” also known as “ConGen 2017,” was held at the University of Montana. The ConGen workshop brought 15 instructors together with knowledge in a wide range of topics including NGS data filtering, genome assembly, genomic monitoring of effective population size, migration modeling, detecting adaptive genomic variation, genomewide association analysis, inbreeding depression, and landscape genomics. Here, we summarize the major themes of the workshop and the important take‐home points that were offered to students throughout. We emphasize increasing participation by women in population and conservation genomics as a vital step for the advancement of science. Some important themes that emerged during the workshop included the need for data visualization and its importance in finding problematic data, the effects of data filtering choices on downstream population genomic analyses, the increasing availability of whole‐genome sequencing, and the new challenges it presents. Our goal here is to help motivate and educate a worldwide audience to improve population genomic data analysis and interpretation, and thereby advance the contribution of genomics to molecular ecology, evolutionary biology, and especially to the conservation of biodiversity.

show abstract

“…Applicants should understand the critical importance given to recommendation letters, and consider ways to ensure letter writers highlight their strengths and potential for research, and address weaknesses that may appear in other parts of an application. This also raises the issue of implicit bias, which can arise in these and other contexts and may have significant diversity implications [42]. Writers and readers of letters should work to be aware of potential implicit bias and interpret letters accordingly.…”

Section: A Research Questionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating approaches to diversity in a national survey of physics doctoral degree programs: The graduate admissions landscape

Potvin

Chari

Hodapp

2017

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Graduate admissions play a critical gatekeeping role in the physics community not only because they select students who are allowed to begin their graduate studies, but also because they influence how students perceive graduate school, and in some cases whether or not they will even choose to apply. In conjunction with the APS Bridge Program, we conducted a national survey of graduate directors (and related faculty) of physics Ph.D. programs in the United States to explore graduate admissions practices. Our focus was on criteria used in determining admissions, mechanisms through which graduate applicants are handled, and how student representation considerations are incorporated into admissions (if at all). We report here on existing graduate admission practices in physics departments and highlight some critical issues for understanding barriers for diversifying graduate physics, including the use of GRE scores (and the relative importance placed on them). We find that the use of a minimum GRE score for admission, a practice in opposition to recommendations made by the tests designers, is reported to be used in many departments (more than one in three). We also find letters of recommendation to be highly valued in admissions decisions. Our data describe various initiatives at the institutional or individual level to increase gender diversity in admissions. A sizable number of departments also express a latent demand for greater numbers of students from traditionally marginalized racial or ethnic groups, but simultaneously report a lack of such applicants.

show abstract

Gender differences in recommendation letters for postdoctoral fellowships in geoscience

Cited by 199 publications

References 15 publications

Journals invite too few women to referee

Journals invite too few women to referee

Recent advances in conservation and population genomics data analysis

Investigating approaches to diversity in a national survey of physics doctoral degree programs: The graduate admissions landscape

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About