Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to receive weekly letters rooted in curiosity, care, and connection.
Know someone who will enjoy The Scholarly Letter? Forward it to them.

All previous editions of The Letter are available on our website.

Thumbnail Credits: National Gallery of Art, Open Access Collection

Hi Scholar,

The last time I wrote an essay for you, I warned you that it would not be correct, only interesting. I’m afraid I must warn you again - what follows is not an essay at all. Rather it is fiction, based on true events. Drawing inspiration from the previous series authored by The Critic over the summer “I’m Not Leaving Academia, But I am Standing Outside It’ (you can read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in the archive), this series is an attempt at autobiographical fiction. It is very different from anything previously written by this author, so they hope you will forgive any shortcomings it may have.

-Written by The Tatler

"Would you explain to us how you would identify reliable sources to inform your work?" a slightly muffled voice asked through Richard's laptop speakers.

The voice belonged to a physics professor who was chairing the PhD interview. He was sitting in the middle of a brightly lit seminar room on the university campus - about a mile away from Richard’s kitchen table in his student flat. John, who would be Richard's primary supervisor if the interview was successful, sat next to him. Both men wore face masks.

"First of all, I would always look at whether the paper answers the research question it set out to, and the evidence it provides in support of its conclusions. I would also prioritize sources published in reputable journals with high impact factors," Richard answered, desperately hoping they would not ask him to elaborate on what an impact factor was.