How To Write A Curriculum Template

The curriculum vitae (CV) is a formal certificate widely used past researchers and scholars when applying for bookish jobs. An academic CV details your educational background, professional appointments, research and instruction feel, publications, grants, awards, fellowships, and other key achievements.

Perhaps the most critical part in any academic application procedure is writing an academic curriculum vitae that highlights your achievements and shows that you'd exist an asset to whatever educational institution you're looking to join.

The good news? You're about to write an academic CV your peers will employ to teach students how it'south done.

In this guide, I'yard going to show you:

A proven academic CV template better than ix out of 10 other academic CVs.
How to construction your bookish CV to show off your most relevant achievements.
Academic CV tips on how to format your CV to match pick committees' requirements.
Academic CV examples that will dazzle every choice committee.

Beneath, yous'll run into what an academic cv looks similar. We fabricated this sample academic CV using our CV and resume builder.

Want to salvage time and accept your bookish CV set in a flash? Endeavour our CV builder. It's fast and piece of cake to use. Just type up the contents. Our builder volition make certain your CV looks great. Run into xx+ templates and create your CV here.

example of four page academic cv with sidebar

Academic CV sample fabricated with our builder—See more templates and create your CV hither.

What'due south the All-time Bookish CV Template?

Let's make one affair clear.

Your academic CV is not a resume you lot'd use to apply for a task outside of academia. As its aim is to demonstrate your academic feel and achievements, it consists of several additional sections.

So—

What to Include in an Bookish CV?

A good academic CV template should include the following sections, from peak to bottom:

Contact Data
Research Objective or Personal Profile
Education
Professional Appointments
Publications
Awards and Honors
Grants and Fellowships
Conferences
Teaching Experience
Enquiry Experience
Boosted Activities
Languages and Skills
References

What if you're at an early stage of your bookish career and, for case, have no pedagogy experience or fellowships to showcase yet?

Just skip these sections that are not applicable for your CV. Include the remaining ones in the order listed above.

If you're applying for a scholarship and take been explicitly asked to submit an academic resume, don't submit a lengthy academic CV, but a shorter certificate. Want to acquire how to write one? Have a look at our guide: Scholarship Resume (Template & Complete Guide 20+ Examples) .

You might have noted that, all over the Internet, there are thousands of recommended academic curriculum vitae templates with differently ordered sections. Why is the one suggested in a higher place the best of them?

Because it focuses on what's most prestigious and competitive. Information technology helps y'all validate your worth every bit an bookish candidate in a wink.

Hither'due south some food for thought:

Many applicants choose to put their Teaching and Research Experience sections above Professional Appointments and Publications, simply it really makes little sense.

Why?

Simply because getting a regular academic contract or getting published in a peer-reviewed journal is harder to attain and more than competitive than just didactics or doing research.

Pro Tip: There'south no page-count limit for a CV for an bookish. Make it as long as it needs to be to bear witness your whole career path. Even if it means double-digit page count.

Alright, so you lot've seen the total checklist of all the necessary sections for your CV. At present, allow's break downward how to structure the content of each section to best highlight your accomplishments and skills.

Read more: What is a CV? What Does "CV" Hateful?

1. Contact Information

Pretty obvious, correct? The header of your academic curriculum vitae has to include your full contact information.

In the contact information department, enter your:

Full name,
Professional title and affiliation,
Institutional address,
Your home address,
Email,
Telephone number,
LinkedIn profile (optional).

Pro Tip: When writing an academic CV for humanities, the common practice is to put the words "Curriculum Vitae" beneath your full name.

In technical or business academic fields, calculation a link to your LinkedIn profile in your contact information section is strongly recommended.

Whether or non you include your LinkedIn profile, expect the pick committee to thoroughly research your online presence. Want to know how to make sure they're going to like what they meet? Check out our guide: How to Cheque Your Online Presence Earlier Recruiters Look You Up

2. Research Objective or Personal Profile

What'southward the divergence betwixt these two?

Research objective on a CV for academic purposes is a brief, concise paragraph in which you outline your enquiry plans.

A personal profile gives a summary of your academic background and your best achievements.

And which one to choose?

Go for research objective if yous're writing an academic research CV. For instance, if you're applying for graduate enquiry programs or for a research grant.

True, y'all've already discussed them at length in a carve up document describing your research goals—but you still need to reiterate them on your academic curriculum vitae.

Why?

Considering, more often than not, selection committees look at your bookish CV before they start reviewing other awarding documents.

If your CV begins with a research objective, it's a surefire way to immediately grab the selection committee's attention—to make them eager to read on and learn more about your career background.

How to write it? Accept a wait.

Here's a sample research academic CV objective:

Instance of an Academic CV for PhD Application—Research Objective

MA student in Journalism and Social Advice at Anytown Academy, made the Dean's List for three consecutive years, seeking to leverage two study abroad experiences and a semester-long inquiry internship to undertake postgraduate research regarding the evolution of socialist mass-media in mid-twentieth-century Eastern Europe.

Wow, right? That'due south one hell of a PhD CV objective.

Looking for a permanent academic contract? In your academic lecturer CV, put a personal profile below your contact data.

Only like your academic CV research objective is a synopsis of your full research objective, an academic CV personal profile should summarize your personal argument.

See this example of an bookish CV personal profile:

Sample Academic CV Personal Contour

Proactive lecturer and researcher with 10+ years of experience pedagogy courses on undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Supervised 22 BA theses, 9 MA theses, and 2 PhD dissertations. Edited and co-authored three monographs on contemporary trends in psychology and psychoanalysis. Published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals.

What makes this case so peachy?

In a higher place all, that it's super specific. It includes proof of this candidate's academic prowess and a lot of verifiable achievements.

When making a CV in our builder, drag & driblet bullet points, skills, and machine-make full the deadening stuff. Spell cheque? Bank check. First building aprofessional CV template here for gratis.

Create the perfect resume

When you're washed, Zety'south CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it amend.

Right, so you've started your academic curriculum vitae with a blindside. The decision makers are hooked.

What'southward adjacent?

3. Pedagogy

If yous're targeting an academic post, this department is the meat and potatoes of your CV.

Here'due south how to plow it into châteaubriand with dauphinoise:

Listing all your postsecondary degrees in reverse chronological order. Get-go with the well-nigh contempo one, follow it with the previous one, so the 1 before it.

Include:

Year of completion or expected completion (no starting dates)
Degree blazon
Your major
Your minors, if applicative
Your department and establishment
Your honors
Dissertation/Thesis Championship and Advisor

Pro Tip: Don't spell out "Dr. of Philosophy" or "Master of Arts." It makes you lot come across pretentious. You can choose to omit the full stops in "Ph.D." or "Grand.A." Just remember to be consistent throughout your CV.

Run into a properly written sample academic curriculum vitae teaching department:

Education on an Academic CV—Example

2017 MA in French

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Graduated summa cum laude

Thesis title: "The Lesbianism of Marcel Proust: An Assay of the Traits of Female person Queer Civilisation in In Search of Lost Time"

Thesis supervisor: Professor George Swan

Want to learn more than about the reverse chronological format of a CV or resume? See our defended guide: Chronological Resume Template & 20+ Examples [Consummate Guide]

Voila!

That's how it's washed. Now, for the next section.

four. Professional Appointments

If you've already had these, put them right below your pedagogy section.

That way, the option committee members will immediately know what institutions you've cooperated with then far. Information technology'due south pretty of import in the academia, right?

In your professional appointments department, include:

Your position
Your establishment
Dates worked
Brief description of your responsibilities

Contrary to what the above list might propose, effort to avoid using bullet points on an academic curriculum vitae. I can't stress it enough: it's not a resume!

Take a wait at this example of an academic CV Professional appointments department.

Sample Academic CV Professional Appointments Section

Douglas Kelly Professor of Fine art History

University of Wisconsin, 2012-2017

Taught a total of 18 undergraduate and 9 postgraduate courses, mainly focused on contemporary conceptual art, every bit well as photography, and operation. Supervised 12 MA theses. Member of the Postgraduate Studies Board from 2014 to 2017.

Note, in the professional appointments section on your postdoc academic CV, include only contracted academic positions.

If you've got no such posts nether your chugalug, don't list part-time university gigs, or T.A. positions in this section. Let's confront it, these are not mightily impressive—every PhD-level scholar has had them, right?

Instead, follow with…

5. Publications

Divide them into two sections: Peer-reviewed Publications and Other Publications. Listing the former first—a no-brainer, isn't it?

Then, dissever your peer-reviewed publications into further subcategories in the post-obit order:

Books
Volume chapters
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Contributions to edited volumes equivalent to peer-reviewed journals

All other publications become into, well… "Other Publications" section.

Pro Tip: When listing your publications, choose one bibliography style (MLA, APA or Chicago) and stick to information technology throughout your academic CV. Not sure which one to choose? Check the website of the institution you're applying to and see what commendation style they apply.

6. Awards and Honors

This is where you tin can show off your trophy case.

Listing all awards and honors y'all've received in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the award, the yr when you got it and the establishment that presented you with it.

Writing how much $$$ exactly you received is optional. The rule of thumb is: if you're in arts or humanities, don't include it. For business or scientific CVs, information technology's more common.

7. Grants and Fellowships

Why is this section of import?

Because it proves that your research so far has been innovative and valuable enough to concenter funding. It's especially important nowadays, due to the planned cuts in federal science funding.

As with awards and honors, listing your grants and fellowships chronologically descending. Enter the twelvemonth span and the funding establishment'south name. Over again—disclosing the verbal corporeality of funding you received is field-specific.

eight. Conferences

Divide this section into three subsections:

Invited talks—those you presented at other institutions
Campus talks—those that y'all did at your institution's campus
Conference participation—conferences y'all participated in simply gave no lecture

9. Teaching Experience

This one's a bit catchy, considering information technology's not synonymous with "Professional Appointments" department I've discussed to a higher place.

In the Teaching Feel department on your academic curriculum vitae, include the TA courses you've taught. List all the courses taught if you lot've had less than 10 of these.

But if you're an experienced scholar and your bookish CV Appointments section truly shines, experience complimentary to only list the institutions in which you've been a Teaching Assistant forth with the dates yous TAed.

Targeting a teacher'south career? Yous'll demand a perfect resume. For some bully teacher resume examples, run across our guides: Instructor Resume: Sample & Complete Guide [twenty+ Examples] or Teaching Assistant Resume: Sample and Complete Guide [twenty+ Examples]

ten. Research Experience

This is where you lot list all your academic research posts. As per usual—enter them in reverse chronological gild.

If yous're experienced—limit your inquiry or lab positions to the following:

Full-time Researcher
Inquiry Associate
Enquiry Assistant

Petty research experience? On an academic CV for masters application, or other bookish CV for graduate student, listing even the smallest inquiry projects in which you've participated.

xi. Additional Activities

Everything that doesn't fit into the higher up sections goes hither.

What do I mean past this?

Have a await at some examples of academic CV additional activities entries:

Non-academic jobs
Extracurricular university activities
Service to profession
Media coverage

Pro Tip: If your academic CV is particularly extensive (above 8 pages), you don't have to list any of the higher up activities. Do then only if they're actually breathtakingly impressive.

12. Languages and Skills

Pretty straightforward, right?

Listing all the languages you know well enough to read academic texts in them. Indicate your level of proficiency using the following phrases:

Native/bilingual
Fully proficient
Avant-garde
Intermediate
Can read with a dictionary

Whatsoever language of which yous merely take some very basic understanding is left off.

Putting skills on an academic CV is optional. It might come across every bit unprofessional. In general, do information technology only if yous're in a technical or scientific field.

xiii. References

The final section of a well-organized academic CV template is the References.

List your references vertically. Include:

Total name and title
Traditional mail address
Telephone number
Email accost

Yup, yous have to include the snail post address, although, let's face information technology, nobody will ever use it. It's merely one of those peculiarities of bookish praxis.

Don't add together any narrative to your references, unless y'all're creating an academic curriculum vitae for an undergrad pupil. If so—requite a brief explanation of your bookish relationship with a given reference.

And at that place you have it! A consummate academic CV template.

But hold up a sec. Earlier you start writing yours, bank check out some general bookish CV tips on formatting.

And yes, this matters a lot. Bookish determination makers can be very picky when it comes to seemingly unimportant details.

two

How to Format an Academic CV?

Think about this:

Academic selection committees have to review thousands of applications for each post, scholarship, or grant they're offering.

Whether yous're writing an academic CV for graduate school, an academic enquiry CV, or even applying for college, you'll be facing a lot of contest.

What does it mean for you?

That you need to choose a clear, legible academic CV blueprint.

One that'll make all the key details data virtually your career easy to skim for the conclusion makers.

Here'due south how to do it:

1. Utilise one inch margins for all four sides of your CV

That way, your CV volition await good once information technology'southward printed on white newspaper.

two. Be consistent with your font

Cull one font type and size and stick to it throughout your CV. Get for 11 or 12pt. Use fourteen to 16 pt for your name at the top and bold for department headings.

Apply standard fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman.

Avoid italics of whatever kind except for periodical or book titles (beloved Brits, this is about you).

For more on picking a great font for every application certificate you write, check out our slice: What is the Best Font for a Resume (+10 Examples & Tips)

3. Put double blank line before all headings and one bare line after them.

White space is good for readers. It guides their optics to all the important parts.

iv. Brand your CV as long as information technology needs to exist

An academic CV is not a resume. It doesn't have a folio-count limit. It's supposed to show the detailed course of your academic career.

5. Salvage your academic CV in PDF

PDF files keep your formatting intact. A word academic CV could look differently on various devices, depending on the software version.

For more than, see: Curriculum Vitae (CV) Format and How to Write a Curriculum Vitae for a Job

Plus, a not bad cover alphabetic character that matches your resume will give y'all an advantage over other candidates. Yous can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may await like:

matching set of resume and cover letter

Meet more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Writing an academic CV doesn't need to be difficult if you follow this full general guidance:

Struggling to put your academic curriculum vitae sections in the correct social club? Your virtually competitive and prestigious achievements should ever go outset.
Start with a cursory research objective or a personal contour that shows what your academic career has been about.
Don't use bullet points and don't over-explain your academic experience. Be curtailed and to-the-bespeak.
Use a good bookish CV format—brand your CV legible, clear, and elegant.

All check? Good luck with your application (though you lot won't really need information technology)!

Do you have whatsoever questions on how to make an academic CV that gets you lot that dream mail? Want to share your experiences with writing a CV for academic posts? Requite us a shout in the comments and we'll answer your queries!