Requesting a Recommendation Letter
Before asking me for a recommendation letter, please first check whether I can write a meaningful and professional letter for you. A strong letter requires direct evidence of your work, reliability, and potential. If the criteria below do not apply, please do not send a request.
Can I write a recommendation letter for you?
Please answer the questions below in order. If your answer is No at any step, please do not send a request; it is better to ask someone who knows your work more closely.
You took a course with me, completed a research project, internship, thesis, or assistantship under my supervision, or collaborated with me on a paper or research activity.
I should be able to comment on specific evidence, such as your technical ability, research maturity, independence, writing, implementation skills, teamwork, presentations, or consistency.
A short meeting, a few emails, or attending one talk is usually not enough for a strong recommendation letter.
Please ask early. Last-minute requests are difficult to support, especially when the letter requires careful evaluation or a detailed institutional form.
If one of the answers above is no, I probably cannot write a meaningful and well-supported letter. A weak or generic letter will not help your application. Please ask someone who has worked with you more closely.
If all four answers are yes, I may be able to write a specific and professional recommendation letter for you. Please send one complete email with the information below.
What should you send?
- Your current CV or resume.
- A short description of the program, position, scholarship, internship, or opportunity.
- A brief reminder of our work together, including the course name, project title, internship, thesis, publication, or dates of collaboration.
- A short paragraph describing what you would like me to emphasize, such as research ability, programming, independence, leadership, writing, teamwork, or perseverance.
- Your transcript, selected papers, project report, GitHub page, or any other evidence that may help me write a specific and well-supported letter (optional, but helpful).
- The exact deadline, submission link or email address, and any official instructions from the institution.
How to contact me
Send your request to mohammad.sabokrou@oist.jp with a clear subject line such as “Recommendation Letter Request — Your Name”.