TITLE: Is it possible to write a research statement which is too short?
QUESTION [14 upvotes]: We all know that it is possible to write a research statement which is so long it becomes counterproductive.  At some point people will give up on reading it.
But can you write one (let's say for job applications) which is so short that its length alone makes a bad impression on the reviewers?  I certainly suspect this to be the case.
It would be very useful if in answers people could specify which hiring environment (which country, which type of school) they have in mind.  It would be particularly interesting to hear a perspective from someone who's hired for tenure-track jobs at a liberal arts college in the US, but I'd welcome info about any sort of job or grant.

REPLY [6 votes]: I agree with JSE.  You should write your research statement so that someone who stops reading after the introduction still gets a lot out of it.  The people who make it to the end of a long (say 8-10 page) research statement are probably the ones who are considering hiring you.  Even if the work is strong, an overly short research statement might make me concerned that the candidate does not possess the requisite stamina and follow-through for an academic career.