title: Reliability in evaluating letters of recommendation.
abstract: To measure the interobserver reliability in evaluating letters of recommendation for residency applicants, three letters were collected from each of the application files of 58 residents at one program. The letters were rated by six faculty. Interobserver reliability, calculated using the kappa statistic, was slight. These preliminary results show significant variability in the interpretation of letters of recommendation.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, NC, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Dirschl
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D015709:Correspondence as Topic; D007396:Internship and Residency; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D014481:United States