Templates

Author: Year:

Title:

What is the article about? Give a quick summary. Note the problem and hypotheses.

What are the main takeaways/conclusions from the article?

Are the conclusions well supported? Why or why not?

What future research could come from this article?

Why is this article important? How does it connect to other articles in the literature?

How does it connect to topics you are interested in?

Key terms:

NOTE: You may also want to include other sections, such as limitations, outstanding methods, links to other readings, definitions or methods.

Hello [professor],

My name is [name] and I work in [lab] studying [blank]. I plan to take quals next spring, and I'm working on putting together my qualifying exam committee. I was wondering if we could schedule a 5-10 minute meeting about whether you'd consider working with me on quals.

For my dissertation, I've been thinking about ….blah blah blah. I am also interested in exploring blah blah blah. I think your expertise in [blah blah blah] could help me focus on what drives some of these dynamics.

I would love to meet with you and chat about if you'd be interested in serving on my quals committee. If it's helpful, I'm also happy to provide a bit more background on my interests via email or in person. I am pretty flexible over the next few weeks! Please let me know if there is a good time for us to meet.

Thank you,

[your name]