Writing Sample Dilemmas

[Bleep_Bloop]

I'm ABD and applying to a TT assistant prof job in the humanities (language and literature department) at a research university, for which my work is objectively a good fit. However, I'm debating between two possible writing samples. The first would be a chapter of my dissertation, which is directly related to the specialization the committee is looking for. The second pertains to a side project that is in a parallel subfield (one of the secondary specializations the committee is looking for). While it's not as relevant as the first, it is forthcoming in a top-3 journal.

I'm getting conflicting advice from committee members...some say that an application with a sample that isn't directly relevant to the ad will certainly get tossed in the reject pile. Others say that having a peer-reviewed article, especially one in a top journal, looks far more impressive to the committee than simply submitting a dissertation chapter. Does anyone here have any advice? I'm leaning towards the dissertation chapter to highlight my fit...the article will still be on my CV of course. I'm just not sure if submitting a diss chapter as a writing sample weakens the application overall.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Bleep_Bloop

[KittyCat_PhD]

While I don't know much about faculty hiring processes, I would think that the purpose of a writing sample would be to showcase your writing skills and knowledge of a topic, whereas publications would be a separate consideration. Since the topic of your dissertation chapter is a better fit for the position, I would go with that. Then, see if there's another space in the application to draw attention to your journal article (in addition to the CV). 

Highlighting the relevance of your dissertation is especially important given that you're ABD and (therefore I'm assuming) don't have postdoc experience. In science, at least in the USA, it's pretty difficult to get hired for a research faculty position without years of postdoc-ing, and I would guess the same to be true in the humanities. This doesn't mean you shouldn't apply; go for it! But since experience isn't your main selling point, that makes it especially important to really sell them on the relevance of your work.

Good luck!

[Sigaba]

3 hours ago, Bleep_Bloop said:

I'm getting conflicting advice from committee members...some say that an application with a sample that isn't directly relevant to the ad will certainly get tossed in the reject pile. Others say that having a peer-reviewed article, especially one in a top journal, looks far more impressive to the committee than simply submitting a dissertation chapter. Does anyone here have any advice? I'm leaning towards the dissertation chapter to highlight my fit...the article will still be on my CV of course. I'm just not sure if submitting a diss chapter as a writing sample weakens the application overall.

Talk to your committee members some more as well as others who have BTDT IRT getting a TT job. 

[Concordia]

Wouldn't you display an embarrassment of riches if you could tell them about a published article, and then -- once you whetted their appetite--  show them a completely different piece from your dissertation?

[cowgirlsdontcry]

4 hours ago, Bleep_Bloop said:

I'm ABD and applying to a TT assistant prof job in the humanities (language and literature department) at a research university, for which my work is objectively a good fit. However, I'm debating between two possible writing samples. The first would be a chapter of my dissertation, which is directly related to the specialization the committee is looking for. The second pertains to a side project that is in a parallel subfield (one of the secondary specializations the committee is looking for). While it's not as relevant as the first, it is forthcoming in a top-3 journal.

I'm getting conflicting advice from committee members...some say that an application with a sample that isn't directly relevant to the ad will certainly get tossed in the reject pile. Others say that having a peer-reviewed article, especially one in a top journal, looks far more impressive to the committee than simply submitting a dissertation chapter. Does anyone here have any advice? I'm leaning towards the dissertation chapter to highlight my fit...the article will still be on my CV of course. I'm just not sure if submitting a diss chapter as a writing sample weakens the application overall.

Do you have other publications? At my MA school, if it got serious, they asked for additional materials. Although I'm only a PhD student, my thought is that you should submit the dissertation chapter as it directly relates to the position. They can then see if your research and thoughts align with the current thought in the department on the topic. While the other WS is more prestigious, it is less relevant and by the time they actually get around to interviewing you, it may be published and you can refer them to the journal for a read. The wheels of department search committees move slowly. One other question--did the ad state that ABD was acceptable? 

Edited August 16, 2017 by cowgirlsdontcry

[fuzzylogician]

As a general rule, I would always prefer to submit a published paper than a manuscript with any application. Now, that said, I would want to submit a writing sample that's actually directly related to the job ad, and would not submit papers in another subfield as they are not going to maximally showcase my strength in [job ad's subfield].* I'm not sure what other materials you are submitting as part of the application, but this published paper will presumably feature not only in your CV, but possibly in your research statement and/or cover letter, as will your dissertation topic and perhaps the main arguments/findings. So either way, I would imagine that you'll discuss both of these texts. As a student, I was also always told that it's important to submit a dissertation chapter to show the committee what I am working on and to allay any concerns about the state of my writing. But then, applications I submitted wanted on average 3-5 samples of writing, so I never had to choose just one. So I guess the bottom line is that you need advice from someone in your field, and no one here can tell you with confidence what to do (not to mention, we don't actually know the content or the level of scholarship; not every paper in a top-3 journal is that amazing and not every chapter is that non-amazing...). If you pressured me for my instinct independent of all these caveats and gaps in my knowledge, I'd say diss chapter, since it's the one on-topic. But I could be very wrong. 

* side note: if I could submit multiple papers and I had work on a side-specialty that the ad mentions, I might choose one, as long as I also showcase my work in the main field. Either way, I'd mention this work in my materials as it's relevant to the ad. 

[maxhgns]

I would only submit the chapter if it's done--that is, if it's been through several drafts and your supervisor has approved the final draft of that chapter. I'd also want it to stand more or less alone, of course.

Provided it meets those criteria, the chapter is the better choice, since your pub is more tangential. Otherwise, stick with the pub (in its final, published format).