References for PhD Application: Is reputation or personal relationship more important? I am a Master's student who is currently applying for PhD programs. When it comes to the letter of recommendation, I need to choose one out of the following three professors.



Details are deleted due to personal matters. However the answers should still be helpful to a certain extent.
Remember, the main issue in the letters of recommendation is testifying to your aptitude as a researcher. Being well-known gives the letter somewhat more weight, but being able to comment in depth on your abilities can counter or outweigh the "big name" factor.

However, enthusiasm in writing the letter is also an important factor. Someone who doesn't immediately agree to writing a letter of recommendation for you is probably someone you do not want writing a letter at all. So, I would consider asking both A and B if they would be willing to write a letter. If both agree to write them, then I would use your long-term goal as an additional "screen." If you're primarily interested in a teaching career, I might lean towards using B a bit more than A, and vice versa for a research career.