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On letters of recommendation and evaluation
One of the duties of a scholar or professor is to write recommendation letter or provide evaluation for your student or colleague. In the US, these letters are often requested by institutions considering hiring the person under question for a position or a recognition award. Promises of confidentiality are customary given to insure impartial and frank opinions will be provided by the evaluator writing the letter. Since the government passed the Freedom of Information act in 1966 which allows a person certain access to his/her own personnel records, specific forms were design for person to waive such right so that a person will not ever see these letter of recommendation and evaluation even after s/he were hired or admitted. Students routinely sign such waiver forms in order to get professors to write letters of recommendation for them when applying for admission or jobs. As members of admission committee, we will disregard any recommendations not accompanied by such waiver forms.
In China, the practice seems to be exactly the opposite. An applicant for a position or an award are to contact, solicit, and collect such letters of recommendations from various writers and submit them as part of the application. Even if the institution directly requests such evaluations, no promises of confidentiality are ever given. I cannot help but wonder what purpose can such non-confidential letters of recommendation ever serve. Who would ever write anything critical if s/he knows that the applicant will be able to read it? Can the institution ever gleam anything useful from such letters? Because of this, I have consistently refused to write such letters. Instead I write a letter to the institution explaining the reasons for my refusal as contrary to existing academic practice for the rest of the world. So far, I have not heard an explanation back as to why Chinese Institutions keep following this procedure of non-confidential letters of recommendation. There must be some logic to this which escapes me.
By the way, in the West awards/prizes are nominated by your peers but never applied for by yourself which appears to be the practice in China. For one who was brought up the western way, the Chinese practice again seems to me as unnatural and full of opportunities for conflict of interest and humiliation. Chinese are obsessed with the Nobel prize. But has anyone ever APPLIED for a Nobel prize?
(Note added 10/23/08: I don't want to imply by this article that the issue of confidentiality is absolute. There are instances where it is not necessary or desirable, e.g., you are asked to render a clearly favorable opinion. Confidentiality is a principle not an ironclad rule. Also there is a subtle difference" between a recommendation letter and an evaluation letter))
(More note added 12/13/08. More than one Chinese colleague has enlightened me to the fact that "recommendation letter" serves purpose in China different from the evaluative purpose in the west. Thus confidentiality is not necessary nor expected. Another example of my own naviety)
(More note added 12/13/08. More than one Chinese colleague has enlightened me to the fact that "recommendation letter" serves purpose in China different from the evaluative purpose in the west. Thus confidentiality is not necessary nor expected. Another example of my own naviety)