An Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV) serves as a comprehensive, living document detailing a person’s scholarly and professional accomplishments over their entire career. Unlike a traditional resume, the CV functions as a thorough record of contributions to research, pedagogy, and community service. This document is the primary tool used by search committees in higher education to evaluate candidates for faculty, research, and post-doctoral positions. The CV’s length expands naturally over time, providing a detailed narrative of a scholar’s trajectory. It is built upon a standardized structure that allows evaluators to quickly locate specific evidence of scholarly productivity.
Essential Contact and Personal Information
The CV begins by clearly establishing the applicant’s professional identity through contact information. This section must include the full legal name, a current mailing address, a reliable phone number, and a dedicated, professional email address. Including a link to a professional website, an ORCID ID, or a public profile like LinkedIn can strengthen the presentation of one’s scholarly presence. Information like marital status, age, or photographs are generally omitted to maintain focus on professional qualifications and avoid bias.
Academic History and Education
This foundational section details the educational background, providing evidence of formal training and intellectual specialization. Degrees must be listed in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent degree. Each entry requires the degree obtained, the granting institution and location, and the precise date of completion or expected defense. The specific title of the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation is a mandatory inclusion, as it defines the initial major research contribution. The name of the primary faculty advisor should also be noted alongside the thesis title if standard in the discipline. Maintaining a consistent formatting style ensures that evaluators can quickly trace the progression of the candidate’s academic journey.
Research and Professional Appointments
All pertinent professional and research roles should be listed following the academic degrees. This includes faculty appointments, research fellowships, post-doctoral roles, and junior positions like teaching or research assistantships. Each entry must clearly state the official title held, the institution, and the exact start and end dates of the appointment. The listing should be enhanced by including one to three concise descriptive statements detailing core responsibilities or significant achievements during that period. For research roles, specify projects managed, data collection scope, or methodologies developed; for teaching appointments, list specific courses served as the instructor of record.
Publications and Dissemination
This section is the most substantial evidence of scholarly output and must be subdivided by type of work. Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles carry the highest prestige and should be separated into those published and those “in press.” Every entry must strictly adhere to the citation style common to the academic discipline (e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago), ensuring all co-authors are listed correctly. Books should differentiate between single-authored monographs and edited volumes. Book Chapters, technical reports, and non-peer-reviewed industry publications should be listed in distinct subsections to maintain clarity regarding the level of formal review. Proper bibliographic formatting is paramount, allowing reviewers to easily verify the publication record. Works “under review” or “in preparation” should be listed sparingly, only if they are significant, near-completion projects.
Conference Presentations and Posters
This section documents scholarly work presented publicly but not yet formally published. It demonstrates the candidate’s active participation in the intellectual discourse of their field and their ability to communicate research findings effectively. Entries should be organized by the nature of the presentation, separating invited talks, which carry a higher distinction, from general submitted oral presentations. Poster sessions should also be listed under their own subsection. Each entry must include the full title of the presentation, the name of the conference or professional meeting, the location (city and state/country), and the exact date of the presentation.
Funding, Grants, and Fellowships
The ability to secure external financial resources is a measurable indicator of a scholar’s research independence. This section is dedicated to competitive grants, significant internal university awards, research contracts, and major fellowships. Each funding entry must clearly identify the project’s title and the candidate’s specific role, such as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI). Specify the name of the funding agency or organization that awarded the money. Include the total amount of the award received, which quantifies the scale of the project. The start and end dates of the funding period must also be included to establish the timeline of the supported work.
Academic Honors, Awards, and Recognition
This section is reserved for formal recognition of achievement that does not involve monetary funding. It includes university-wide awards for academic excellence, departmental prizes, and formal recognition for teaching quality. Honors conferred by professional societies or associations for exceptional scholarly work also belong here. This collection of awards provides evidence of the candidate’s standing and reputation within the broader professional community. Each entry should concisely state the full name of the award or honor received, the name of the granting institution or organization, and the year it was received.
Professional Service and Outreach
A well-rounded academic career requires contributions to the institution and the broader scholarly community, which is detailed in the service section. This section is typically divided into three areas to demonstrate the scope of involvement.
Departmental and Institutional Service
This includes roles on faculty committees, participation in search processes, or formalized student mentoring activities.
Professional Service
This involves contributions that support the field itself, such as serving as an anonymous peer reviewer for academic journals, acting as a grant proposal reviewer, or organizing sessions for major conferences.
Public and Community Outreach
This includes activities that translate scholarly expertise to the general public, like giving talks to non-academic organizations or advising local government bodies.
Technical Skills and Languages
This concise section lists specific competencies that directly enhance the candidate’s research or teaching capacity. For technical skills, focus on methodologies and software proficiency relevant to the discipline. Examples include advanced statistical software (R, Python, SPSS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or specific laboratory techniques. For languages, specify the language and the level of proficiency (e.g., native fluency, professional working proficiency, or reading knowledge only).
References and Finalizing the Document
The final section typically addresses how references will be handled. The most common practice is simply to state, “References available upon request,” indicating that a separate list of contacts will be provided when requested by the search committee. If the discipline or application specifically asks for references, a concise list of three to five academic contacts, including their name, title, institution, and contact information, should be appended. Always ensure that the entire CV is consistently formatted, aesthetically clean, and meticulously proofread before submission.