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What is an Academic CV?
An academic curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive document detailing your entire academic career - education, positions, research, publications, teaching, service, and professional activities. Unlike industry resumes limited to 1-2 pages, academic CVs span 3-20+ pages, expanding throughout your career as accomplishments accumulate.
CV vs. Resume
Academic CVs:
- Comprehensive, listing all relevant activities
- Length increases with career stage (PhD students: 3-5 pages; tenured professors: 10-20 pages)
- Emphasize research, publications, grants
- Required for faculty positions, fellowships, research jobs
Industry Resumes:
- Brief summaries highlighting relevant experience
- Typically 1-2 pages regardless of experience
- Emphasize skills, accomplishments, impact
- Required for non-academic positions
Standard CV Sections
Contact Information
Essential Elements:
- Full name
- Current position and institution
- Email address (institutional)
- Phone number
- Office address
- Website/academic profile URLs (ORCID, Google Scholar)
Place prominently at CV top. Update immediately when changing positions.
Education
Formatting:
- Institution, degree, field, year
- Dissertation title (for PhD)
- Advisor name
- List in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
Example: Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2023
- Dissertation: "Metacognitive Strategy Instruction in Online Learning Environments"
- Advisor: Dr. Sarah Martinez
Include all graduate degrees. Undergraduate degree typically listed but without details unless highly prestigious institution.
Academic Positions
Formatting:
- Position title, institution, department, dates
- List in reverse chronological order
- Include postdocs, visiting positions, adjunct roles
Example: Assistant Professor of Psychology, State University, 2023-present Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Institute, 2021-2023 Graduate Teaching Assistant, UC Berkeley, 2018-2021
Publications
Organization Options:
- Single chronological list
- Separate categories: books, peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, conference proceedings
- Further division: published vs. under review vs. in preparation
Formatting: Use consistent citation format (usually APA):
- Author names (your name bolded or underlined)
- Year
- Title
- Journal/book information
- DOI
Include publication status:
- [Published]
- [In press]
- [Under review]
- [Manuscript in preparation]
Grants and Funding
Elements:
- Grant title
- Funding agency
- Your role (PI, Co-PI, Co-investigator)
- Award amount
- Project dates
Example: "Digital Literacy Development in Underserved Communities" National Science Foundation, PI, $450,000, 2022-2025
Separate funded from unfunded proposals or list only awarded grants.
Teaching Experience
Organization:
- By institution or chronologically
- Course title, level (undergraduate/graduate), enrollment, semester/year
Example: Introduction to Research Methods (Undergraduate), Enrollment: 45 Fall 2023, Fall 2024
Advanced Qualitative Research (Graduate), Enrollment: 12 Spring 2024
Include teaching evaluations if strong (average scores, selected comments).
Service
Categories:
- Department service: Committees, program coordination
- University service: Faculty senate, task forces
- Professional service: Editorial boards, conference organizing, manuscript reviewing
- Community service: Advisory boards, outreach
Formatting:
- Activity/role
- Organization/journal
- Dates
Example: Member, Curriculum Committee, Department of Psychology, 2023-present Ad hoc reviewer, Journal of Educational Research, 2022-present
Awards and Honors
Include:
- Fellowships
- Scholarships
- Teaching awards
- Research awards
- Best paper awards
- Honorary society memberships
Example: Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association, 2023, $2,000 Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation, 2019-2022, $138,000
Professional Affiliations
List:
- Professional organizations (APA, AERA, etc.)
- Membership dates
- Leadership roles if applicable
Example: American Psychological Association, Member, 2019-present Society for Research in Child Development, Student member, 2018-2023
Additional Sections (Career Stage Dependent)
Presentations
Conference presentations, invited talks, guest lectures
Separate major presentations (keynotes, invited talks) from contributed conference presentations. List location, audience size, or conference acceptance rate for prestige indicators.
Media and Public Scholarship
Interviews, op-eds, blog posts, podcasts
Increasingly valued for broader impacts. Include outlet, date, topic.
Professional Development
Workshops attended, certifications earned
More relevant for early-career CVs showing ongoing skill development.
Languages
Languages beyond native tongue
Specify proficiency level (fluent, conversational, reading).
Technical Skills
Software, programming, specialized methods
Relevant for computational, data science, or technical fields.
CV Formatting Best Practices
Consistent Style
Choose formatting and maintain throughout:
- Font: Professional serif (Times New Roman, Garamond) or sans-serif (Arial, Calibri)
- Font size: 10-12pt body, 14-16pt headings
- Margins: 0.5-1 inch
- Line spacing: Single or 1.15
Clear Section Headers
Make sections easy to find:
- Bold or larger font for headers
- Consistent header formatting
- Optional: horizontal lines separating sections
- White space preventing crowding
Strategic Emphasis
Highlight key information:
- Bold your name in publications
- Italicize journal/book names
- Underline awarded grants
- Selective bolding for major achievements
Don't overuse emphasis - it loses impact.
Page Numbers
Include on every page:
- "LastName CV, Page X"
- Bottom center or right corner
Prevents page separation during printing/circulation.
Tailoring CVs
Position-Specific Emphasis
Research-focused positions:
- Publications section early and extensive
- Research statement prominent
- Grants highlighted
Teaching-focused positions:
- Teaching section early
- Course development emphasized
- Teaching awards highlighted
Administrative positions:
- Leadership experience prominent
- Service section expanded
- Grant management emphasized
Reordering Sections
Move most relevant sections toward CV front. Search committees focus on first pages - place strongest qualifications there.
Updating Your CV
Continuous Maintenance
Add items immediately:
- Publications upon acceptance
- Presentations after conferences
- Awards when received
- Service roles when starting
Updating continuously prevents forgetting accomplishments and scrambling during job applications.
Annual Review
Once yearly:
- Review for accuracy and completeness
- Remove outdated items (old graduate coursework, very minor service)
- Reorganize if needed
- Check formatting consistency
- Update contact information
Version Control
Maintain dated versions:
- "CV_LastName_2024.pdf"
- "CV_LastName_TenureReview_2024.pdf"
- "CV_LastName_JobSearch_2024.pdf"
Versions document career progression and allow retrieving earlier formats.
Common CV Mistakes
Including Irrelevant Information
Academic CVs omit:
- High school information (unless prestigious institution and early career)
- Non-academic jobs (unless relevant to academic position)
- Personal information (marital status, religion, photo in US CVs)
- References line (provide separately when requested)
Inconsistent Formatting
Switching citation formats mid-CV or varying date formats looks unprofessional. Choose formats and apply consistently.
Typos and Errors
Proofread meticulously. Typos in your CV suggest carelessness in your work. Ask colleagues to review.
Outdated Information
Old addresses, disconnected emails, or obsolete affiliations suggest you don't maintain professional materials carefully.
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