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It also specifies suitable recommenders, contact selection, advance timing, risks of negative letters, confidentiality rules, English-language requirements, and steps for registering recommenders for direct uploads.",{"@graph":14,"@context":77},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/guidelines-for-requesting-a-letter-of-recommendation/274784/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/guidelines-for-requesting-a-letter-of-recommendation/274784.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Logic","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",18,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69,73],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What purpose do recommendation letters serve in graduate applications?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Recommendation letters provide additional insight into a candidate’s personal and academic qualifications for graduate study, including strengths, performance, and overall characteristics.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What information should you provide to your recommender when requesting a letter?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Provide a current resume, notable educational and professional achievements, your academic interests and goals, and copies of your personal and study objective/research statements.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Who can write a recommendation letter, and who should you avoid choosing?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Choose people who know you well and can speak in detail about your character and performance, such as supervisors, professors, or research advisors. Avoid coworkers, classmates, friends, and relatives (recommendations cannot come from parents, siblings, or other relatives).",{"name":74,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What submission and language rules apply to recommendation letters?",{"text":76,"@type":64},"Recommendation letters are confidential and the applicant cannot upload them for the recommender. All letters must be written in English, and if a letter is not originally in English, an official English translation is required that is not completed by the applicant.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":79,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":81,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":83,"site_id":7},274784,1790209922,{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":87},"success",[88,93,98,103,108,113,118,121,126],{"id":89,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":94,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":99,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":55,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},30,"letters",{"id":122,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":125},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":127,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":129},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":86,"data":131},{"doc_id":83,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":22,"category_id":55,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":22,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":4},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Guidelines for Requesting a Letter of Recommendation  \nWhat is a Recommendation Letter?  \nAs part of the application process to graduate programs at U.S. institutions, all candidates are required to submit three Letters of Recommendation (LOR) . Recommendation letters provide further insight into a candidate’s qualifications for graduate study and should include an overall assessment of the candidate’s personal and academic characteristics, strengths, qualifications, and performance.  \nTips for Requesting Recommendation Letters:  \n• A request for a letter of recommendation should provide insight into what you are applying to and why you are applying to it. For a writer to create a recommendation letter that shows you are a competitive applicant, you will need to provide the following information prior to having them write the letter:  \no A current resume  \no Any notable achievements or accomplishments both educationally and professionally  \no Academic interest and goals  \no Copy of your personal and study objective/research statements  \n• A recommendation letter should be written by someone who knows you well and can speak at length about your educational and professional character, work ethic, and performance.  \no Focus on work contacts and/or academic contacts depending on what is weighed more significantly by the admissions committee. This will vary by your field of study. Work and academic contacts should be ones that are/were responsible for overseeing work i.e., job supervisors, professors, or research advisors.  \no Recommenders should not be work colleagues, classmates, or a friend.  \no Recommenders should not be related to the candidate. Recommendations cannot be from a parent, sibling, or other relative.  \no Recommenders should be chosen so that they say different things about you.  \n• Time is important. It takes time for your recommender to write a good letter. Please provide several weeks’ advance notice. A rushed letter does not always provide a comprehensive overview of a candidate’s qualifications.  \n• Only ask those who can write a positive recommendation letter. A negative recommendation letter could hurt your application.  \n• Recommendation letters are confidential. A candidate cannot upload recommendation letters on behalf of a recommender.  \n• All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English, there must be an official English translation. Because the recommendation letter is confidential, the translation cannot be done by the applicant.  \n• Applicants should register their recommenders as part of the online application process. Recommenders will receive a link to upload their recommendation directly to the application.","cbCaiu0yM6izFFck","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiu0yM6izFFck","pdf",176776,"English","# What is a Recommendation Letter?\n# Tips for Requesting Recommendation Letters\n## Provide the right information to the writer\n## Choose appropriate recommenders\n## Allow sufficient time\n## Request only positive recommendations\n## Follow confidentiality and submission rules\n## Ensure English-language requirements\n## Register recommenders for online upload","[{\"question\":\"What purpose do recommendation letters serve in graduate applications?\",\"answer\":\"Recommendation letters provide additional insight into a candidate’s personal and academic qualifications for graduate study, including strengths, performance, and overall characteristics.\"},{\"question\":\"What information should you provide to your recommender when requesting a letter?\",\"answer\":\"Provide a current resume, notable educational and professional achievements, your academic interests and goals, and copies of your personal and study objective/research statements.\"},{\"question\":\"Who can write a recommendation letter, and who should you avoid choosing?\",\"answer\":\"Choose people who know you well and can speak in detail about your character and performance, such as supervisors, professors, or research advisors. Avoid coworkers, classmates, friends, and relatives (recommendations cannot come from parents, siblings, or other relatives).\"},{\"question\":\"What submission and language rules apply to recommendation letters?\",\"answer\":\"Recommendation letters are confidential and the applicant cannot upload them for the recommender. All letters must be written in English, and if a letter is not originally in English, an official English translation is required that is not completed by the applicant.\"}]","Guidelines for Requesting a Letter of Recommendation | PDF",1789482916]