Your resume is the shop window to your career. At a mere glance, recruiters should be able to see what it is that you have to offer. For that reason, you need to position all of your accomplishments and experience in plain sight. Don’t make things difficult for them. If you have them, it’s worth learning how to list your publications on your resume correctly.
Whether we’re talking about academic papers, journals, books, or articles, if you’ve penned a project, you deserve to shout about it. Here at Resume.io, we want to empower your job search. In the following guide, we will be covering these core topics:
Do research papers add value to a resume? The short answer is yes! Whenever you’re applying for a job, the aim is to stand out from the crowd. Chances are, you will be up against a whole array of applicants that have similar work experiences and qualifications as you do. So, what is it that makes you special? Why are you better than the rest?
Having authored something of value shows that you are a trusted professional. There are plenty of options here. You may have written a research paper if you work in the realm of academia. If you’re a consultant, you could have published a best-selling book sharing your expertise. Whatever it is you’ve written, you can use it to strengthen your resume.
It doesn’t matter if you are applying for a professional or academic role, the rules remain the same. Including specific publications on your resume is a winner. However, there is a certain finesse to adding them to your application, and it pays dividends to learn it.
How do you write a list of publications on your resume? When you’re first applying for jobs, you may find sliding them onto the document tricky. (Psst… You can take a look at our complete formatting guide here.) Finding the right place for these titles is half of the battle. You also need to make sure that there is consistency in the way you list them.
If you’re scratching your head and wondering where to begin, we have your back. To get you started, let’s take a look at the golden rules when listing publications on a resume:
First up, decide whether the publications are relevant to your current application. If you’re applying for a job as an accountant, the recruiter is unlikely to care that you’ve written a self-help book about saving failing marriages. Before you start making your list, ask yourself whether these titles align with the position and industry to which you’re applying.
The truth of the matter is that publications can add real value to your application — but only if they are applicable to the role. You may be immensely proud of a wildlife article you wrote for a local magazine but, unless you’re applying for a job working with animals, it doesn’t matter. Be selective about the publications you choose to include on your resume.
The simplest way to include titles on your resume is to create a dedicated “publications” section. That way, the reader can quickly see the titles that you have written. On average, recruiters spend seven seconds reviewing each application. You don’t have too long to pique their interest and showcase your achievements. Make those moments count.
You can insert this section below your experience, toward the bottom of the page. While it shouldn’t take up too much of the document, you want to ensure that the section is clear. To get your message across, you might want to have it in a pull-out box, for instance.
Now that you know where to list publications on your resume, let’s get down to the nitty, gritty details. As a guide, you should include the title of your paper or article, the publication it appeared in, and the date of publication. You can do this in a bullet-pointed list. You don’t need to include any other details but may want to hyperlink to the article.
Does your article or paper need a longer citation? If so, you should choose which style you want to use. The two main options here are Modern Language Association (MLA) style or American Psychological Association (APA) style — but there are others too. It doesn’t particularly matter what format you use here so long as there is uniformity throughout your resume. Whatever approach you decide to take, you need to make sure that you use the same one with each publication you list on your resume.
In most cases, it makes sense to use a reverse chronological approach when you’re listing publications on your resume. In short, that means that you include your most recent title at the top of the list and work your way back in time as you move down. Recruiters will be most interested in recent accolades so it’s logical to put them at the top. Aside from that, it’s helpful to have a straightforward ordering system when structuring your resume.
Are you something of a wordsmith? If you’re constantly publishing new articles, research papers, and even books, that is a massive feather in your hat. However, the last thing you want to do is overload your resume with a colossal list of titles. Resume real estate is valuable — you don’t want to waste it. Figure out which publications are most important.
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is often used for publications on a CV. Follow this simple structure: last name, first initial, article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, year, and then page number(s). Take a look at our example below.
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is the other common approach. For this one, use this structure: last name, first name, article title, journal name, volume number, issue number, page number(s), and year. Check out our example here.
What if you haven’t written a research paper but a mainstream article? Never fear, you can list this one simply in the following format: title, publication, year. See our example below.