most recent 30 from http://mathoverflow.net 2013-05-21T21:07:38Z http://mathoverflow.net/feeds/question/4891 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://mathoverflow.net/questions/4891/is-it-possible-to-write-a-research-statement-which-is-too-short Ben Webster 2009-11-10T17:09:07Z 2009-11-13T02:11:02Z

<p>We all know that it is possible to write a research statement which is so long it becomes counterproductive. At some point people will give up on reading it.</p> <p>But can you write one (let's say for job applications) which is so short that its length alone makes a bad impression on the reviewers? I certainly suspect this to be the case.</p> <p>It would be very useful if in answers people could specify which hiring environment (which country, which type of school) they have in mind. It would be particularly interesting to hear a perspective from someone who's hired for tenure-track jobs at a liberal arts college in the US, but I'd welcome info about any sort of job or grant.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/4891/is-it-possible-to-write-a-research-statement-which-is-too-short/4892#4892 Richard Kent 2009-11-10T17:12:26Z 2009-11-10T17:19:37Z

<p>I'd guess that if it is under 2 pages you had better have proven some really wicked theorem.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/4891/is-it-possible-to-write-a-research-statement-which-is-too-short/4893#4893 Claudiu 2009-11-10T17:26:53Z 2009-11-10T17:26:53Z

<p>If you could prove Fermat's Theorem in 2 pages, no one would complain. </p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/4891/is-it-possible-to-write-a-research-statement-which-is-too-short/4896#4896 JSE 2009-11-10T17:34:55Z 2009-11-10T17:34:55Z

<p>Sure -- I read lots of these, and if it were less than a page I'd wonder why the person didn't have more to say about their research. In fact, a long research statement, <em>so long as it has a short, well-written introduction</em>, presents no problem at all, in my experience.</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/4891/is-it-possible-to-write-a-research-statement-which-is-too-short/4904#4904 Pete L. Clark 2009-11-10T19:11:25Z 2009-11-10T19:11:25Z

<p>I agree with JSE. You should write your research statement so that someone who stops reading after the introduction still gets a lot out of it. The people who make it to the end of a long (say 8-10 page) research statement are probably the ones who are considering hiring you. Even if the work is strong, an overly short research statement might make me concerned that the candidate does not possess the requisite stamina and follow-through for an academic career.</p>