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heavy rewrite: cleaned up English, better-ized the question, ...
Theo Johnson-Freyd
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Should a job application research statement include a "research plan"?

I am wondering whether I should include a "research plan" as part of my research statement for the academic job market. My concern is that my research plan may not exactly match the projects being pursued at the places I'm applying, so I worry that by putting the research plan in a research statement I may reduce my chance of getting an interview in job application.

Of course, I can write a research plan for each research position, but it will take a lot of time for me to write different research plans for all the position I am applying for.

In your response, please include your background, so that readers can better evaluate your answers: what kinds of jobs have you applied for, what kinds of applications have you evaluated, location, etc. (Otherwise it's too hard to separate the knowledgeable advice from the rumors and best guesses of someone who doesn't know anything. Also, the "best answer" will presumably depend on the type of position.)

user4606
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