Referee Requirements
New Referee Requirements for 2023-24
SOM has new referee requirements that only apply to promotions to Associate Professor on these three tracks: Clinical Faculty (CF), Research Faculty-Support (RF-S), and Instructional Faculty (IF). External independent letters are no longer required for these candidates. Instead, they need to receive three or more referee letters of any type. These letters can be internal, external non-independent and/or external independent (see definitions below).”
Compiling Referees Lists for P&T
Be sure to view the Selecting Your Referees Video (view presentation slides) Learn about the different types of referees and how to go about selecting them for your promotion and tenure.
The candidate and the department chair/division chief discuss potential referee names to generate a list that the Dean will use to solicit recommendation letters. The referee letter requirements are different based on your P&T action and track, so be sure you are following the correct requirements (listed below).
The purposes of the letters are:
- to provide expert evaluations of the candidate’s professional activities in one or more of the main mission areas (clinical care, education, or research) in comparison to peers in the field
- to comment on the candidate’s reputation, locally, regionally, and nationally
- to comment on service performed for local, state and national government or professional organizations, and community.
Overall Referee Lists Requirements
- Identify each referee as one of three types defined below (internal, external non-independent, external independent)
- Provide the referee’s complete name, title including rank, institution, and e-mail.
- Referees must be at or above the rank to which the candidate wishes to be promoted.
- Do not include your department chair (or division chief for Department of Medicine divisions) as an internal referee. They must write a nomination letter and cannot serve in both capacities.
- The referees should not be contacted by the department, chair, or candidate to solicit or ask the willingness to provide a letter.
Definitions of Referee Types
Internal Referees are selected, as needed, to document domains of excellence and the existence of a strong regional reputation for excellence. Internal referees may not include current students or trainees (such use would constitute abuse of power).
External Non-Independent Referees are selected to comment on domains of excellence, significance of scholarship, and the existence of a strong regional or national reputation for excellence (award of tenure and promotion to Professor are based on national reputation).
External Non-Independent Referees:
- must be from outside UVA and its clinical affiliates
- may be a former UVA faculty or staff member
- may be a former mentor or collaborator of the candidate
External Independent Referees are selected to comment on significance of scholarship and the existence of a strong regional or national reputation for excellence (award of tenure and promotion to Professor are based on national reputation).
External Independent Referees:
- may be colleagues on national committees, study sections, or conference organizations; may also be co-authors on committee or work group reports
- must not now be or ever have been a mentor or collaborator of the candidate
- must not now be or ever have been affiliated with UVA or its clinical affiliates while the candidate has been employed here
- must not be a co-author on a peer-reviewed publication
- must not be a co-investigator on a grant
- must not have worked with the candidate at a previous institution
If you are not certain a potential referee qualifies as external Independent, please contact the Office of Faculty Affairs.
Referee Requirements for Promotion to Associate Professor on CF, RF-S, and IF Tracks Only
The candidate must receive at least three (3) referee letters total. Your referee list is submitted to Faculty Affairs by your department’s P&T contact.
Please note: candidates on these tracks (CF, RF-S, and IF) who are pursuing promotion to full professor must follow the referee requirements for all other tracks and actions listed below. These requirements only apply for promotion to associate.
The following mix of referee types is recommended by Faculty Affairs.
Expected number of referee names is ten (10).
- The following mix of referees is recommended:
- Up to 50% internal
- Up to 50% external non-independent
- External independent referees are not required but are permitted
Referee Requirements for All Other Tracks and P&T Actions
Each of these candidates must receive at least three external independent letters and at least one must be from the department chair’s list and one from the candidate’s list. Your referee list is submitted to Faculty Affairs by your department’s P&T contact.
The following mix of referee types is recommended by Faculty Affairs.
- The initial referee list must be twenty (20) names. Additional names can be identified for possible use if the required number of letters are not obtained. The external independent referees should not be contacted by the department, chair or candidate to solicit or ask the willingness to provide a letter.
- 50% external independent – a minimum of ten (10) external independent referees must be requested and include names from the candidate and the department chair. Identify the external independent referees as originating from either the chair/chief or the candidate. It is suggested that half be from the chair and half from the candidate. The candidate must receive at least three (3) external independent letters; at least one must be from the chair’s list and one from the candidate’s list.
- 25% Internal
- 25% External Non-Independent