Academic Curriculum Vitae (CV) Example and Writing Tips

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curriculum vitae (CV) written for academia should highlight research and teaching experience, publications, grants and fellowships, professional associations and licenses, awards, and any other details in your experience that show you’re the best candidate for a faculty or research position advertised by a college or university.

When writing an academic CV, make sure you know what sections to include and how to structure your document.

Tips for Writing an Academic CV

Think about length. Unlike resumes (and even some other CVs), academic CVs can be any length. This is because you need to include all of your relevant publications, conferences, fellowships, etc. Of course, if you are applying to a particular job, check to see if the job listing includes any information on a page limit for your CV.

Think about structure. More important than length is structure. When writing your CV, place the most important information at the top. Often, this will include your education, employment history, and publications. You may also consider adding a personal statement to make your CV stand out. Within each section, list your experiences in reverse chronological order.

Consider your audience. Like a resume, be sure to tailor your CV to your audience. For example, think carefully about the university or department you are applying to work at. Has this department traditionally valued publication over teaching when it makes tenure and promotion decisions? If so, you should describe your publications before listing your teaching experience.

If, however, you are applying to, say, a community college that prides itself on the quality of its instruction, your teaching accomplishments should have pride of place. In this case, the teaching section (in reverse chronological order) should proceed your publications section.

Talk to someone in your field. Ask someone in your field for feedback on how to structure your CV. Every academic department expects slightly different things from a CV. Talk to successful people in your field or department, and ask if anyone is willing to share a sample CV with you. This will help you craft a CV that will impress people in your field.

Make it easy to read. Keep your CV uncluttered by including ample margins (about 1 inch on all sides) and space between each section. You might also include bullet points in some sections (such as when listing the courses you taught at each university) to make your CV easy to read.

Note

Be sure to use an easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, in a font size of about 12-pt.

By making your CV clear and easy to follow, you increase the chances that an employer will look at it carefully.

Be consistent. Be consistent with whatever format you choose. For example, if you bold one section title, bold all section titles. Consistency will make it easy for people to read and follow along with your CV.

Carefully edit. You want your CV to show that you are professional and polished. Therefore, your document should be error-free. Read through your CV and proofread it for any spelling or grammar errors. Ask a friend or family member to look it over as well.

Academic Curriculum Vitae Format

This CV format will give you a sense of what you might include in your academic CV. When writing your own curriculum vitae, tailor your sections (and the order of those sections) to your field, and to the job that you want.

Note

Some of these sections might not be applicable to your field, so remove any that don’t make sense for you.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Name
Address
City,
State Zip Code
Telephone
Cell
Phone
Email

SUMMARY STATEMENT
This is an optional section. In it, include a brief list of the highlights of your candidacy.

EDUCATION
List your academic background, including undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. For each degree, list the institution, location, degree, and date of graduation. If applicable, include your dissertation or thesis title, and your advisors.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
List your employment history in reverse chronological order, including position details and dates. You might break this into multiple sections based on your field. For example, you might have a section called “Teaching Experience” and another section called “Administrative Experience.”

POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
List your postdoctoral, research, and/or clinical experiences, if applicable.

FELLOWSHIPS / GRANTS
List internships and fellowships, including organization, title, and dates. Also include any grants you have been given. Depending on your field, you might include the amount of money awarded for each grant.

HONORS / AWARDS
Include any awards you have received that are related to your work.

CONFERENCES / TALKS
List any presentations (including poster presentations) or invited talks that you have given. Also list any conferences or panels that you have organized.

SERVICE
Include any service you have done for your department, such as serving as an advisor to students, acting as chair of a department, or providing any other administrative assistance.

LICENSES / CERTIFICATION
List type of license, certification, or accreditation, and date received.

PUBLICATIONS / BOOKS
Include any publications, including books, book chapters, articles, book reviews, and more. Include all of the information about each publication, including the title, journal title, date of publication, and (if applicable) page numbers.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
List any professional organizations that you belong to. Mention if you hold a position on the board of any organization.

SKILLS / INTERESTS
This is an optional section that you can use to show a bit more about who you are. Only include relevant skills and interests. For example, you might mention if you speak a foreign language, or have experience with web design.

REFERENCES
Depending on your field, you might include a list of your references at the end of your CV.

Academic Curriculum Vitae Example

This is an example of an academic curriculum vitae. Download the academic CV template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Screenshot of an academic curriculum vitae (CV) example
@ The Balance 2020 

Academic Curriculum Vitae Example (Text Version)

JOHN SMITH
287 Market Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: 555-555-5555 
email@email.com

EDUCATION:Ph.D., Psychology, University of Minnesota, 2019
Concentrations: Psychology, Community Psychology 
Dissertation: A Study of Learning-Disabled Children in a Low-Income Community  Dissertation Advisors: Susan Hanford, Ph.D., Bill Andersen, Ph.D., Melissa Chambers, MSW

M.A., Psychology, University at Albany, 2017
Concentrations: Psychology, Special Education
Thesis: Communication Skills of Learning-Disabled Children
Thesis Advisor: Jennifer Atkins, Ph.D. 

B.A, Psychology, California State University-Long Beach, 2015

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Instructor, University of Minnesota, 2017-2019
University of Minnesota
Courses: Psychology in the Classroom, Adolescent Psychology

Teaching Assistant, University at Albany, 2015-2017
Courses: Special Education, Learning Disabilities, Introduction to Psychology

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

Postdoctoral Fellow, XYZ Hospital, 2019-2020
Administered extensive neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic assessment for children ages 3-6 for study on impact of in-class technology on children with various neurodevelopmental conditions

PUBLICATIONS:

North, T., and Smith, J. (Forthcoming). “Technology and Classroom Learning in a Mixed Education Space.” Journal of Adolescent Psychology, vol. 12.

Willis, A., North, T., and Smith, J. (2019). “The Behavior of Learning Disabled Adolescents in the Classroom.” Journal of Educational Psychology, volume 81, 120-125.

PRESENTATIONS:

Smith, John (2019). “The Behavior of Learning Disabled Adolescents in the Classroom.” Paper presented at the Psychology Conference at the University of Minnesota.

Smith, John (2018). “Tailoring Assignments within Inclusive Classrooms.” Paper presented at Brown Bag Series, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota.

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS:

Nelson G. Stevens Fellowship (XYZ Research Facility, 2019)

RDB Grant (University of Minnesota Research Grant, 2018) Workshop Grant (for ASPA meeting in New York, 2017)

AWARDS AND HONORS:

Treldar Scholar, 2019
Teaching Fellow of the Year, 2018
Academic Excellence Award, 2017

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

Psychology Association of America National Association of Adolescent Psychology

RELEVANT SKILLS:

  • Programming ability in C++ and PHP
  • Extensive knowledge of SPSSX and SAS statistical programs.
  • Fluent in German, French, and Spanish

More CV Examples and Templates

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  1. Indiana University. "Curriculum Vitae Guide." Accessed July 30, 2020.

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