An Academic CV: Organise Research, Teaching and Publications Clearly

TL;DR

• An academic CV presents relevant scholarly work in sections such as education, research, teaching, publications and service.
• Choose the order around the role and your field rather than treating one template as universal.
• Label publication status and your contribution accurately; submitted work is not the same as accepted or published work.
• Keep a complete master CV, then prepare the version and supporting documents requested by each application.

What makes an academic CV different?

An academic curriculum vitae is a structured record of scholarly experience and contributions. It often needs more detail than a general employment resume because the reader may assess research topics, methods, teaching, publications and professional service separately.

That does not mean every possible activity deserves equal space. A clear CV makes relevant evidence easy to find. A long document with inconsistent citations and unexplained headings can be less useful than a shorter, carefully organised one.

Harvard's graduate CV and cover letter guide discusses academic categories such as research, teaching and publications. Treat the structure as a starting point and check the conventions of your discipline and the actual application instructions. Those instructions take priority over a generic template.

A practical academic CV outline

Use this original outline to create a master document. Include only sections for which you have relevant material; an empty “Publications” heading does not help the reader.

For a teaching-focused role, teaching evidence may belong earlier. For a research appointment, relevant research experience and outputs may need more prominence. Within a section, a consistent chronological approach helps readers understand progression.

Describe research as a contribution

A research entry should identify the project and your role without relying entirely on the reputation of the institution or supervisor. State the question, method and work you carried out where those details are relevant and shareable.

For example: “Research assistant, Urban Mobility Lab, September 2024–June 2025. Cleaned and documented survey data, implemented reproducible analysis scripts and prepared figures for the project team's internal review.” This fictional entry shows concrete work without claiming authorship or publication that has not occurred.

If a result is preliminary, describe it as preliminary. If a project involved confidential data, explain the method and permitted contribution without disclosing restricted information. Link to an approved repository or public output only when you have permission and it is useful to the application.

Keep publication status unmistakable

Readers need to distinguish published work, accepted work and manuscripts still under review. Use separate headings or explicit labels that match your field's practice. Check the status again immediately before submission; a master CV can become outdated quickly.

Use one consistent citation style. Preserve author order, include the venue and year where known, and use a DOI or stable public link when appropriate. Do not turn a working draft into a “forthcoming” publication unless that status is justified.

For collaborative work, follow accepted conventions for identifying your name or contribution. Do not reorder authors to make your role look larger. If you include a preprint and the later journal article, make their relationship clear so the same work is not misleadingly presented as two independent outputs.

Make teaching experience specific

“Teaching assistant” is a title, but responsibilities vary. Explain whether you facilitated tutorials, prepared materials, assessed assignments, held office hours or supported laboratory sessions. If you taught independently, identify the course and scope.

Use student numbers or evaluation results only when they are accurate and appropriate to share. A single selected compliment is not a substitute for describing your teaching responsibilities. Keep a separate teaching statement or portfolio if the application requests one; the CV should point to relevant evidence without trying to contain every lesson plan.

Mentoring can be valuable even when it is outside a formal teaching role. Describe who you supported at an appropriate level of generality and what the support involved, while respecting privacy.

Prepare the version the application needs

Start from the master CV, then review the vacancy's criteria. Reorder sections if that makes the most relevant evidence easier to find. Remove unrelated detail, fix dead links and ensure dates agree with the application form and cover letter.

For non-academic positions, a targeted resume may be more appropriate. Harvard's guidance for PhD resumes and cover letters distinguishes employment-focused applications from academic ones. The CV versus resume guide can help you decide which document fits the request.

Export in the requested format. Inspect the actual PDF for broken page breaks, missing symbols and links that are difficult to use. Avoid leaving a heading alone at the bottom of a page or splitting a short publication entry unnecessarily.

A final accuracy check

Review names, dates, degree status, author order and publication labels. Check that references have agreed to be listed when their details are required. Use their preferred professional contact information and tell them what you are applying for.

Ask a reader in your discipline to review the structure, especially for your first academic application. Ask a specific question: “Can you distinguish my research contribution from the team's work?” or “Is the publication status clear?” That produces more useful feedback than asking whether the CV looks impressive.

Common questions

How long should an academic CV be?

Use the length needed to present relevant evidence clearly, subject to the application's limits and field conventions. Do not stretch a short record with empty headings or compress a substantial scholarly record into an arbitrary one-page format.

Can students include unfinished research?

Yes, when it is relevant and labelled accurately. Describe the current role, work completed and ongoing status. Do not present an expected result as established evidence.

Should references always appear on the CV?

Follow the application instructions. Some processes collect references separately. If you include them, obtain agreement and confirm their contact information before submitting the document.