How to Write a CV for Academia: Professional Documentation

An academic curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive document presenting your educational background, professional experience, publications, grants, teaching, and service. Academic CVs differ from job resumes in being detailed, comprehensive, and emphasizing scholarly contributions over job responsibilities.

Understanding Academic CVs

Academic CVs serve multiple purposes:

• Document your professional qualifications
• Support grant applications
• Accompany job applications
• Provide comprehensive professional history

CVs are more extensive than resumes and include all significant professional accomplishments.

Standard CV Sections

Contact Information: Name, current institution/department, email, phone, office address

Education: Degrees, institutions, years, any relevant distinctions

Reverse chronological order (most recent first).

Professional Experience: Position title, institution, dates, key responsibilities if relevant

Scholarly Work: Publications: Books, book chapters, peer-reviewed articles, other publications

Organize by type (usually peer-reviewed first), then reverse chronological within each type. Include full citations. For journals, include volume, issue, pages.

Books: Full citation with publisher

“Smith, J. R. (2023). Title of book. Publisher.”

Book Chapters: Authors, year, chapter title, book title, editors, publisher, pages

“Brown, J. L., & Jones, K. M. (2023). Chapter title. In M. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. 123-145). Publisher.”

Peer-reviewed articles: Authors, year, title, journal, volume, issue, pages, DOI

“Williams, T., & Johnson, K. (2023). Article title. Journal Name, 45(3), 234-251. https://doi.org/…”

Non-peer-reviewed publications: Distinguish from peer-reviewed (often in separate section)

Grants and Funding: Funding source, amount, title, dates, role (PI or Co-I), status (funded/pending)

“National Science Foundation Grant #12345, $500,000, ‘Research Title,’ 2023-2026, Principal Investigator”

Teaching: Courses taught, institution, years, enrollments if notable

“PSYCH 301: Research Methods, [Institution], 2020-present, average enrollment 45 students”

Service: Committee work, editorial positions, professional leadership

“Editor, Journal Name, 2023-present”

Presentations: Conference presentations, invited talks

“Presentation title. [Conference Name], [City], [Date]”

Honors and Awards: Significant awards, fellowships, recognitions

“Graduate Fellow, [Award Name], [Institution], [Year]”

Professional Affiliations: Academic and professional organizations

Additional Sections (discipline-dependent):

• Research interests
• Languages
• Technical skills
• Consulting experience

Formatting Guidelines

General principles:

• Clear, consistent formatting
• Reverse chronological order within sections
• Adequate white space for readability
• Professional appearance
• Single or double-spaced depending on length
• Single or two-column layout

Headings: Use consistent formatting for all section headings.

Spacing: Adequate spacing between sections improves readability.

Font: Professional fonts (Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond) in 10-12 point.

Length: Include all significant accomplishments. Don’t artificially pad; don’t omit significant work.

Content Considerations

Publications: Include all peer-reviewed publications. Non-peer-reviewed work can be included in separate section. Update regularly—omitting recent publications dates your CV.

Grants: Include both funded and pending grants. Distinguish between roles (PI, Co-I, Senior Personnel). Include funding amounts when significant.

Teaching: List courses taught with frequency. Include student evaluations or teaching awards if strong.

Service: Include significant service (committee work, editorial positions, professional leadership). Don’t overload with minor service.

Presentations: Include major conferences and invited talks. Extensive conference presentation lists can overwhelm; include only substantial presentations.

What to Update Regularly

• New publications
• Teaching assignments
• Service positions
• New grants
• Honors and awards

An outdated CV damages credibility. Update regularly, especially before job applications or grant submissions.

Common CV Mistakes

Inconsistent formatting: Varying font sizes, spacing, or styling throughout.

Outdated information: Missing recent publications or positions.

Unclear organization: Hard to find information within CV.

Excessive length: Over-padded with minor details.

Incomplete citations: Missing information in publication citations.

Personal information: Including age, marital status, or irrelevant personal details.

Careless errors: Spelling or grammar mistakes.

Vague descriptions: Unclear what you accomplished in positions.

Practical Structure Example

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JANE DOE Department of Psychology, State University Email: jdoe@stateuniversity.edu | Phone: (555) 123-4567

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Psychology, University X, 2015 Dissertation: [Title] Advisor: [Name]

M.S., Psychology, University Y, 2012

B.S., Psychology, University Z, 2010

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, State University, 2018-present

Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Center, University A, 2015-2018

PUBLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed articles

Doe, J., & Smith, K. (2023). Article title. Journal Name, 45(3), 234-251.

[Additional publications…]

Book chapters

Doe, J., & Johnson, L. (2023). Chapter title. In M. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. 123-145). Publisher.

GRANTS

NSF Grant #12345, $500,000, “Research Title,” 2023-2026, Principal Investigator (Funded)

[Additional grants…]

TEACHING

PSYCH 301: Research Methods, State University, 2018-present

PSYCH 450: Advanced Topics, State University, 2019, 2021-present

SERVICE

Editor, Journal Name, 2023-present

Member, Faculty Senate, State University, 2020-present

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Tools and Resources

Use GenText to ensure consistent professional formatting and clear presentation throughout.

Check discipline-specific CV guides for field-specific conventions (STEM vs. humanities norms differ).

Revision Checklist

Before submitting:

• Is information current?
• Is formatting consistent?
• Are all publications properly cited?
• Is organization logical?
• Have you proofread for errors?
• Does it match discipline conventions?
• Is length appropriate?
• Would someone unfamiliar with you understand your accomplishments?

Final Recommendations

Keep multiple versions. Customize for different purposes (job application, grant submission, different discipline areas).

Update regularly. Don’t wait until job applications to gather recent accomplishments.

Focus on quality. Recent, significant accomplishments matter more than exhaustive lists of minor items.

Your CV is your professional document. It should comprehensively yet clearly present your scholarly contributions and qualifications. By following discipline conventions, maintaining clear organization, and keeping information current, you create CVs that effectively represent your academic accomplishments.