Table 1.
Recommendations from the Published Literature About How to Write Letters of Reference
| Recommendations |
|---|
| Preparing to write the letter |
| •Address and send the letter only to individuals named by the trainee |
| •If you feel that you will be unable to write a favorable letter about the individual, you should inform him and give him the opportunity to decide if he prefers to ask someone else |
| •Commit enough, but not too much, time to the writing of the letter |
| •Remember the responsibility that you have to the profession of medicine |
| •Define whether you are writing a letter of reference (a genuine evaluation) or a letter of recommendation (a commentary only on strengths of an individual; weaknesses that have been identified are purposefully omitted) |
| •Consider meeting with the individual requesting the letter to review the person's career goals and other aspects that are important in order to create an honest picture of the candidate. Meeting with the individual can also serve to refresh one's memory about specific experiences that have occurred with the person and about their performance and character |
| Writing the letter |
| •Maintain a formal approach in the formatting of the letter |
| •Choose your words carefully |
| •Use common sense |
| •Keep in mind that honesty and authenticity are paramount |
| •Use specific, objective data when possible and supplement that with interpretations or explanations |
| •Provide the information that you would want to know if you were on the receiving end of the letter |
| •Confer concerns and weaknesses explicitly |
| •Keep it short and clear |
| •Make sure that the information shared reflects fairness and good faith |
| •Be certain to discuss the skills or characteristics that are most relevant and germane. These frequently include many of the following: personal qualities (especially integrity and motivation), professionalism, communication skills, relations with others, clinical competence, medical knowledge, technical skill, administrative ability |
| •Offer for the recipient to call you if clarification of any of the content is needed |
| Before sending the letter |
| •Critically read the letter with careful appraisal of the language used and the information that has been disclosed |