If you are requesting a letter of recommendation from me, first, you should email me and get my ok first.
If I am available to write the letter, I'll direct you to this form, at which point you should fill it out. Make sure to do this at least one month prior to the letter due date.
This form allows me to keep track of who has asked me, where I need to send the letters, and some basic summary statements that will help job my memory for me.
You can check out http://ideal.umd.edu/contact_faq.html#recommendation_letters for answers to some frequently asked questions.
I promise to finish the letter within one month of the date this form is submitted.

- Mark Fuge

Over the next few pages you will see a bunch of questions.
Many of them will be short answer format; the more detail you provide me there, the less likely I will be to miss something important. Only answer questions relevant to the aspects you want me to address in your letter (i.e., you don't need to answer every question).
For those you choose to answer, remind me of every bit of information that could be important. Include courses, projects, committees, organizations, etc., and give specific dates when possible.
I will write your letter using 100% of my own words and opinions, so don't worry about your responses sounding too arrogant or forthcoming --- they are there to jog my memory, not to replace it.

Credit: I adapted many of these comprehensive questions from Susan Finger's NSF GRFP questions and from Burak Kara's reference letter questions.