Requesting Letters

When you need a recommendation letter for a job application, fellowship, or graduate program, AcaTrove lets you send a structured request to your reference through the platform. The request includes the context your writer needs, a clear deadline, and a tracking mechanism so you always know where things stand.

Sending a Request

To request a letter:

1. Navigate to /letters and click Request a Letter.
2. Select your reference. Search for the person by name or email. If they are already a AcaTrove user, select their profile. If they are not on AcaTrove, enter their email address and AcaTrove will send them an invitation along with your request.
3. Describe the opportunity. Provide the key details your reference needs:
   • Position or program title -- What you are applying for (e.g., "Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University").
   • Type of letter -- Whether it is for a faculty position, fellowship, graduate program admission, grant application, or tenure review.
   • Submission deadline -- The date by which the letter must be received.
   • Submission method -- Whether the letter should be uploaded to AcaTrove, emailed to a specific address, or submitted through a portal.
4. Provide supporting context. Attach documents that will help your writer craft a strong letter:
   • Your current CV.
   • The job posting or program description.
   • A draft of your research or personal statement.
   • Notes on specific projects or accomplishments you would like the letter to address.
5. Click Send Request.

Your reference receives a notification (email and in-platform) with your request and all attached materials.

Tracking Request Status

After sending a request, it appears in your Outgoing Requests tab with a status indicator:

• Pending -- The request has been sent but not yet acknowledged.
• Accepted -- Your reference has agreed to write the letter.
• Declined -- Your reference has declined the request. You will need to ask someone else.
• In Progress -- Your reference has started writing.
• Completed -- The letter has been written and is available.

AcaTrove updates the status automatically as your reference takes action. You can also see when your reference last viewed the request.

Sending Reminders

If a deadline is approaching and a request is still pending or in progress, you can send a reminder:

1. Open the request from your Outgoing Requests tab.
2. Click Send Reminder.
3. AcaTrove sends a polite notification to your reference with the deadline highlighted.

Use reminders judiciously. One reminder a week before the deadline is generally appropriate.

Managing Multiple Requests

If you are applying to several positions simultaneously, you may have many active letter requests. The Outgoing Requests tab lets you:

• Filter by status to see which letters are still pending.
• Sort by deadline to prioritize follow-ups.
• Group by reference to see all requests sent to a particular writer.

Tips

• Provide as much context as possible when sending a request. Writers produce stronger letters when they understand the specific position and what qualities the committee is evaluating.
• Send requests at least four weeks before the deadline. Faculty members often juggle many letter commitments, and advance notice is professional courtesy.
• If a reference declines, do not take it personally. They may have too many commitments or feel they cannot write a sufficiently strong letter.
• Completed letters can be attached to application packets in the Professional Assistant.