The phenomenon of recommendation letters for students being written by the student was discussed a few months back, but, as recommendation letters aren’t a big deal here in Australia, I didn’t pay much attention. Today, however, I met a new version of this. I got an email from someone in the US, previously unknown to me, attaching a CV and a draft recommendation letter, and asking me to sign it. I declined without reading the CV, and without formulating a precise reason. Has anyone else encountered this?
3 thoughts on “Reference hyper-inflation ?”
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John Quiggin 
You probably need to have achieved some degree of eminence before total strangers solicit references from you. On the other hand, on two occasions when I myself asked for references, one from a colleague and one from a former supervisor, they asked me to draft them myself. Their laziness disgusted me, but in the case of the supervisor I was a little relieved, as his writing ability was poor.
I write a dozen reference letters a year for former students. My rules are: only mention what can be presented in a favourable light; don’t lie; only exaggerate slightly; and if you have nothing positive to say, don’t agree to do it at all. I always give the person a copy, even if it’s supposed to be confidential. Apart from their ostensible function, references are a good opportunity to praise and encourage people you’ve worked with, and there’s not enough of that in this world. Oral praise is good, but a well-crafted written reference costs time and effort, which the person appreciates.
From what I gather a Slashdot[1] thread, this practice is rather common in America.
[1] I think that is where I’ve read it, I’m not too sure though.
Factory, by “this practice” do you mean students drafting their own reference letters, or asking complete strangers to sign such letters?