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How To Put Research On Your Resume (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Research experiences and skills are an incredibly important aspect of many job applications, so it’s important to know how to put them on your resume correctly. Hiring managers and recruiters want employees who can help drive innovation by being able to apply research skills to problem solve and come up with creative growth solutions.

If you’re a job seeker looking to include your research skills on a resume , we’ll go over how to list research on resume, where you can include it on a resume, and give you some examples.

Key Takeaways:

If you don’t have traditional research experience, highlight the skills used for research that you’ve used in past jobs.

Consider creating a separate research section in your resume if you have a lot of research experience or merge sections, depending on which section you want to bolster with research.

Research experience is one of the best assets to include on a resume so be on the lookout for more opportunities.

What are research skills?

Where to put research experience on your resume

How to include research on your resume, examples of research on a resume, how to put research on your resume faq.

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Research skills are any skills related to your ability to locate, extract, organize, and evaluate data relevant to a particular subject. It also involves investigation, critical thinking , and presenting or using the findings in a meaningful way.

Depending on what job you’re applying for, research skills could make or break your ability to land the job. Almost every job requires some research skills and you probably already have some of those skills mastered by now.

For most careers, research is a vital process to be able to answer questions. “Research skills” are not a single skill, but multiple ones put together.

Some skills that are necessary for research are organization, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and specific technical skills, like coding, Excel, and copywriting.

Including research experience and skills on a resume can be incredibly flexible. When thinking about how to add it to your resume, you want to consider how the research experience adds to your resume.

Your research experience can be included in a few different sections of your resume. Some of those sections include:

Academic accomplishments

Research experience

Work experience/history

College activities

Volunteer work

Presentations and publications

Skills section

If you’ve had smaller research roles but no “official” research experience, you can highlight the skills associated with the types of research mentioned above in your job description under the work history section in your resume.

If your job history is a research position, then naturally, you would include research under the work history section. You can also merge your sections depending on what type of position you are applying for.

For example, you could create a “Research and Education” section or a “Research and Publications” section. If your research is not related to your education and you don’t have any publications, you can also detail it in a separate “Research” section in your resume.

To include your research on your resume, you should gather all the necessary information and then quantify your accomplishments to fit into specific sections. Here is a more detailed list of how to write about research experience in resume:

Gather all the necessary information. The first step is to collect all of the important details like the title of the research project, the location of the research project, the principal investigator of the project (if applicable), and the dates of the project. You will list these details much like you would list a company you have worked for in the past.

Read the job description carefully. Every resume and cover letter you write should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. When a hiring manager puts a necessary qualification in their job posting, you must be sure to include it in your resume.

Make sure that you highlight the right types of research skills on your job applications and resumes.

Quantify your accomplishments. When describing your role on the project, you will want to summarize your accomplishments and deliverables. Hiring managers and recruiters love seeing numbers. When you write out the deliverables from your project, make sure you quantify them.

Incorporate into your work history section. If there were times when you used your research skills in your past employment opportunities, include them in your work experience section. You can also include publications, conferences you may have presented at, and any awards or recognition your research had received.

If you have completed research in an academic setting, then presentations (oral and poster) are an important part of the research process. You should include those details along with the titles of your publications.

Add to your research section. Other aspects of research that you can detail to make your application more competitive are adding skills specific to your project to the skills section of your resume.

These skills will vary depending on the subject matter, but some examples include coding languages, interviewing skills, any software you used and are proficient in using, managerial skills , and public speaking if you have presented your research at conferences.

Add research to your skills section. If the specific research you did is less important than the skills you used to perform it, highlight that in your skills section. That way, you don’t have to take up a lot of work or education history with slightly irrelevant information, but hiring managers can still see you have research skills.

Just be sure you’re more specific about a research methodology you’re an expert in because the skills section doesn’t give you as much room to explain how you leveraged these abilities.

Sprinkle research throughout your resume. If you have a lot of experience performing research in professional, volunteer, and educational settings, pepper it in a few different sections. The more hands-on experience you have with research, the better (for jobs that require research).

Let’s look at some examples of how research can be included on a resume:

University research example

EDUCATION Undergraduate Thesis, University of Connecticut, Dec. 2017-May 2018 Worked alongside UCONN English Department head Penelope Victeri to research the poetry of New England writers of the 20th century. Explored common themes across the works of Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and Robert Lowell. Performed online and in-person research on historical documents relating to each author , including information on the political, religious, and economic landscape of the US at the time. Analyzed poetic works of each author and drew on similar contemporary regional authors’ works. Prepared 20,000 words thesis entitled “Place, Allegory, and Religion: Three 20th Century New England Poets” and defended my written arguments to a panel of English professors.

Customer service research example

WORK EXPERIENCE Conducted interviews with 20 customers each week to gain insight into the user experience with company products Used Google analytics to determine which pages were driving most web traffic, and increased traffic by 11% Reviewed thousands of customer surveys and compiled findings into monthly reports with graphic findings Presented at weekly marketing meeting to inform marketing team of trends in customer experience with our products

Laboratory research example

RESEARCH Conducted experiments on rat brains by introducing various novel chemical compounds and levels of oxygen Ran electricity through brain slices to view interaction of different chemical compounds on active brain cells Prepared sterile samples for daily check and maintained 89% percent yield over the course of a 3-month study Presented findings in a final 15 -page research report and presentation to the Research and Development team

Examples of common research skills to list on your resume

Here are examples of research skills in action that you may have overlooked:

Searching for local business competition

Sending out customer satisfaction surveys

Summarizing current policies and laws in effect for a particular topic

Creating lesson plans based on current education standards

Reading literature reviews and implementing changes in clinical practice

Attention to detail

Problem-solving skills

Critical thinking

Project management skills

Communication skills

Why are research skills important?

Research skills are important because they can help you identify a problem, gather information, and evaluate that information for relevancy. Including your research skills on a resume will show hiring managers that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and help their organization adapt and change as the industry changes.

Some common research skills include:

critical thinking

Computer skills

Can I list research as a skill?

Yes, you can list research as a skill on your resume. Including your research skills in your resume can help show a potential employer that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and use critical thinking to find solutions to problems. Most research skills will use attention to detail, problem-solving, and project management skills.

California State University San Bernardino – Incorporating Research Project Experience on Your Resume

University of Missouri – How to Put Research on Your Resume

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

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Should I include research experience on my resume?

If this is you debating whether or not you should include your research experience on your resume, you’ve come to the right place.

When it comes to landing your dream job, having relevant experience on your resume can make all the difference.

This is especially true in the field of research, where employers are often looking for candidates with strong skills and experience.

In fact, surveys show that 65% of recruiters prefer their candidates to have relevant work experience. when evaluating job candidates.

So if you are seeking jobs related to research, it is indeed crucial to showcase your research experience on your resume in a way that can help you stand out from other candidates and increase your chances of landing an interview.

In this article, we'll discuss the key strategies for highlighting your research experience on your resume, including the types of information to include, how to structure your resume, and other tips for effectively showcasing your skills and experience.

• What is research experience on a resume and why is research experience important?
• How to put research experience on a resume?
• Where to put research experience on a resume?
• What is an example of research experience?

What is Research Experience on Resume and Why is it Important?

Research experience refers to any experience you have had conducting research, whether as part of an academic course, an internship, or a job.

Depending on the industry, it could involve conducting literature reviews, collecting and analyzing data, performing experiments, and presenting research findings.

Research experience can be incredibly valuable in a variety of fields, including science, engineering, healthcare, education, and social sciences. It shows potential employers that you have the skills and expertise needed to work in a research-oriented role.

Including research experience on your resume can be highly advantageous. Here are some reasons why:

Demonstrates critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Research requires careful analysis and critical thinking, demonstrating your ability to approach complex problems and develop solutions.

Shows attention to detail: Conducting research often requires meticulous attention to detail and a focus on accuracy, qualities that are highly valued in many industries.

Highlights technical skills: Depending on the type of research you conducted, you may have developed technical skills, such as data analysis, statistical analysis, or programming.

Shows initiative and independence: Research often involves working independently and taking the initiative to design and execute research projects. This shows potential employers that you are self-motivated and can take the lead when necessary.

Also Read: How to write a research assistant resume in 2023?

How to Describe Research Experience on Resume?

To make the most of your research experience, it's important to know how to include it on your resume effectively. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Choose the Right Format

There are several different resume formats you can use, including chronological, functional, and combination formats.

When highlighting your research experience, the chronological format is typically the best choice. This format lists your research experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent experience.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job Description

When crafting your resume, make sure to tailor your research experience to the job description you're applying for. This means highlighting the research experience that is most relevant to the position you're seeking.

For instance, if you're applying for a research position at a company, and the job description specifically mentions experience with qualitative research methods. You must highlight your experience with these research methods on your resume.

You can write, “Experienced in qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and content analysis.”

Use Action-Oriented Language

Ensure to use action-oriented language that emphasizes your accomplishments and responsibilities while describing your research experience on your resume.

This means you need to use strong verbs and quantify your achievements wherever possible. Here are a few examples:

• Instead of writing "Conducted research on topic X," write "Led a research project on topic X, resulting in a published paper in Journal Y."
• Rather than writing "Assisted with data analysis," write "Developed and implemented a data analysis plan that identified key trends and insights."

By using action-oriented language and emphasizing your specific accomplishments and skills, you can demonstrate to the employer that you're a proactive and results-driven candidate.

Thereby, helping you increase your chances of landing an interview and ultimately getting the job.

Highlight Your Technical Skills

If you developed technical skills through your research experience, make sure to highlight them on your resume.

This could include experience with statistical software, programming languages, or laboratory techniques.

Provide Specific Examples

Rather than blatantly listing your research experience on your resume, provide specific examples of your accomplishments and the results of your research.

This can help potential employers see the impact of your work and understand the skills you bring to the table better. It also adds credibility to your research skills and experiences.

Also Read: How to build a stellar academic resume?

Where to Put Research Experience on Resume?

When it comes to where to put research experience on your resume, there are a few options:

Under a "Research Experience" section: This is the most straightforward option and allows you to list your research experience and projects in a dedicated section. Be sure to include the project title, your role, the duration, and any relevant details such as methodology or results.

Under your "Experience" section: If your research experience is relevant to your previous jobs or internships, you can list it under the corresponding job entry. For example, if you conducted research as part of an internship or a job, you could include a bullet point under that entry that describes your research experience.

In a separate "Publications" or "Presentations" section: If you have published research papers or presented at conferences, you can include them in a separate section that highlights these accomplishments. Be sure to include the title of the paper or presentation, the conference or journal name, and the date.

Also Read: How to showcase work experience effectively in a resume in 2023?

Examples of Research Experience on Resumes

For your reference, given below are some examples of research experience on a resume:

• Conducted research on the effectiveness of a new cancer treatment, including developing research protocols, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings to a team of oncologists.
• Collaborated with a team of researchers to conduct a qualitative study on the experiences of women in STEM fields, including conducting interviews and focus groups, analyzing data using NVivo software, and presenting findings at a national conference.
• Completed an independent research project on the impact of social media on mental health, including conducting a literature review, designing and administering a survey, and analyzing data using SPSS software.
• Assisted a team of researchers in analyzing data from a large-scale epidemiological study, including cleaning and formatting data, running statistical analyses, and creating visualizations using R software.
• Participated in a summer research program, working with a mentor to conduct research on the impact of climate change on coastal ecosystems, including collecting and analyzing data, writing reports, and presenting findings at a research symposium.
• Conducted a research project as part of a senior thesis, exploring the relationship between exercise and cognitive function in older adults, including designing and implementing a study, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings at a departmental conference.

Also Read: What is the difference between a CV and a resume?

Key Takeaways

• What is research experience on a resume and why is it important?

Research experience encompasses conducting research in various settings, such as academic courses, internships, or jobs, which can provide critical thinking and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, technical skills, and show initiative and independence. By including research experience on a resume, potential employers can gain insight into the candidate's expertise, skills, and suitability for research-oriented roles, which can be beneficial in many industries.

• How to list research experience on a resume?

To highlight your research experience effectively, it is crucial to choose the right format, tailor your resume to the job description, use action-oriented language, highlight your technical skills, and provide specific examples of your accomplishments in your research.

There are 3 options when it comes to placing your research experience on your resume - a dedicated "Research Experience" section, your "Experience" section, or in a separate "Publications" or "Presentations" section. Wherever you decide to showcase them, ensure to include details like project title, duration, methodology, or results.

If you want to build a stellar resume that showcases your research experience perfectly, use Hiration’s ChatGPT-powered resume builder with 24x7 chat support. You can also reach us at [email protected] if you have any queries.

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How to List Publications on a Resume With Examples

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When to list publications on a resume

How to list publications on a resume, types of publications to add to a resume, examples of publications on a resume.

Having one or more published works listed on your resume can help you stand out as an applicant to a job or graduate program. Listing your publications on a resume also provides employers with proof of your writing and research skills which can help to highlight your qualifications. This article explains how to modify your resume format to include relevant publications and when to enhance your resume with published material.

The common situations where a list of publications can be most helpful to your resume include:

Academic resumes

Publications can be an important part of a resume when applying for colleges, graduate programs or jobs in academic research. Your publications show the admissions or hiring board the type of research you have done and that you have experience in writing academic content.

Scientific resumes

When applying for a position in a scientific field, you should include any scientific writing that you have published. This shows familiarity with the scientific process and the specific style of writing required in many academic fields. It can also show your interests and indicate productive lab or research projects.

Resumes for a relevant industry

If you have writing in a publication that is specific to the industry of a job you are applying for, consider including it on your resume. Publishing work in a trade journal can display your technical knowledge of a particular field.

Notable publications

Publications that are well-known in your community or on a national level can make your application more prestigious. Many companies are interested in employees who will bring a positive reputation, making candidates that have work in an established journal or newspaper more attractive.

Before listing publications on your resume, consider whether they are relevant to your job application. Resumes have a limited amount of space to leave the best impression on an employer, so it is important to only include publications that support your application.

These steps will help you add publications to your resume:

1. First, create a separate section

Just as most resumes have a section for experience and education, include a separate section with the heading ‘Publications.’ If you are writing an academic resume, consider listing the publications near the top of your resume. For professional resumes where your publications are not the focus of your work, include this section near the bottom of the page.

2. Second, summarize or create a list

You can either list your publications as bullet points or write a short summary of where you have published writing and what topics you have published. Lists are generally more appropriate when you have several specific items you would like to include, while a summary allows you to talk more generally about your writing.

3. Third, format consistently 

If you are listing multiple publications, make sure that you use the same format for each item. There are no specific guidelines for how to cite publications on a resume, but be sure to include your name and the names of any co-authors, the title, the place it was published and the date of publication. This makes your resume more readable and will help employers find your writing.

4. Finally, follow industry rules 

When including publications on an academic or scientific resume, you might consider using the formatting rules of a particular field such as APA or MLA. This demonstrates your knowledge of the industry. If you choose to use a specific citation format, check your work to avoid any mistakes.

Once you have decided that sharing your publications will contribute positively to your resume, you can easily modify your resume to include them. Depending on how many publications you have and the purpose of your resume, you can decide on a variety of different formats. Regardless of the type of publications you are listing, they should be relevant and organized.

Common types of publications that can be added to a resume are:

• Academic journals
• Trade publications
• Online articles

There are many types of publications that are useful to include on a resume. Any of your published writing can be listed, but content that is not peer-reviewed such as a personal blog should be professional quality. You should remember that employers or application boards will likely read one or more of your publications after reading your application.

Use these examples as a model for including publications on your resume:

List format publication section example:

Relevant Publications

• Kafer, Julien. ‘Microbiology and medicine.’ Undergraduate Biology Journal.   Volume 15: pages 23-30. 2018.
• Kafer, Julien and Walker, Marcella. ‘Native fungi of Colorado.’ Denver Nature Journal. Volume 3: pages 5-8. 2019.

Summary format publication section example:

Publications

During my college education, I made several contributions to Modern Business Magazine about the use of innovative marketing techniques online. After my first article, published in 2016, I began writing a quarterly column for Modern Business Magazine that highlighted unique marketing projects in an informative and entertaining way.

When adding publications to your resume, include a separate header, decide on a format and organize list items clearly by date or title.

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Office of Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research cvs and résumés, cv vs. résumé - what's the difference.

A curriculum vitae, or CV, is a document that provides a comprehensive overview of your educational background, academic accomplishments, and qualifications, including your research experience, publications, awards, presentations, and honors. CVs are typically used when applying for academic, scientific, or research positions. A CV may also be used for graduate school, fellowship, or grant applications.

Résumés provide a concise (1-2 page) summary of your education, experience, and skill set. Résumés are typically used for non-academic opportunities, such as jobs, internships, or leadership positions.

At the undergraduate level, these documents may overlap, with similar content found in both. As you progress throughout your career, they will diverge as your experience level changes and your materials are tailored to address a particular audience and to match the conventions within your discipline.

Make sure to review the application information provided by the program or opportunity to determine whether a CV or résumé is preferred.

Are you new to research and developing your first résumé? The Center for Career Development has resources to assist you with preparing a résumé that highlights the transferable skills developed through academics, work experiences, volunteer activities, and extracurricular involvement, as well as connecting those transferable skills to the opportunities you are applying for.

Preparing an Undergraduate CV

Sections: how to organize your content.

The sections on your CV will depend on your experiences and what you want to highlight. For a research-focused undergraduate CV, you can include any of the following sections, modifying the specific section heading to fit your needs:

• Research Experience

Publications

Presentations.

• Grants or Fellowships
• Awards or Honors
• Skills (laboratory, technical, computer, design) and Certifications
• Internships (or relevant work experiences)
• Professional Memberships, Professional Affiliations, or Professional Societies
• Leadership, Volunteer Work, Service, Community Involvement, Extracurricular Activities

When determining the order of your sections, consider what content is applicable and relevant to the program or opportunity to which you are applying. A general guideline is to include your most relevant sections first. Within each section, organize your content in reverse chronological order, listing the most recent experiences or content first, and working your way back to older content.

Begin your CV with your name and contact information. Contact information may include your school or home address, or you may choose to exclude your address and limit your contact information to your email address, phone number, and if applicable, your personal website or LinkedIn URL.

Your name is typically in a larger font, one to two sizes larger than the content. Consider using bold so that it stands out.

Education is typically the first section of an undergraduate CV after your heading. Include the institution name, degree you are completing, your major(s), minor(s), and expected graduation date. If you are writing a thesis, you can also include the title and name(s) of your thesis advisor(s).

Academic honors may be included here as well, though you also have the option of having a separate section to highlight awards and honors.

Including your GPA is optional and will depend on what you are using your CV for. If you are submitting your CV to an opportunity where a GPA is requested, include it. GPA is not commonly included on graduate CVs, an important note to keep in mind as you progress through your academic career and move on to advanced study.

If you studied abroad, you can include the institution name, dates of attendance, and relevant coursework or focus of your studies.

Tip: It is essential that you correctly indicate the degree you are pursuing and your academic major and minor. If you are unsure of how to list your major on your CV (e.g., Psychological Sciences – not Psychology), check with your academic advisor or check your transcript to see how your major is listed. UConn undergraduate degrees include: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Social Work.

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT Bachelor of Arts in History, Minor: Human Rights, expected May 20XX

• Honors Program (20XX-20XX), Dean’s List (Fall 20XX, Spring 20XX), 20XX New England Scholar
• Senior Thesis: Thesis Title
• Thesis Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Husky, Associate Professor, Department of History

University of Connecticu t, Storrs, CT Bachelor of Science, Molecular and Cell Biology , May 20XX Bachelor of Arts, Psychological Sciences , May 20XX Minor: Healthcare Management and Insurance Studies Honors Scholar and University Honors Laureate, Dean’s List (20XX-20XX, Fall 20XX)

Study Abroad in Florence, Italy, Summer 20XX Coursework: History of the European Union; Identity and Culture in Italy: A Comparative Approach

Essential information to include for each research experience:

• Dr. Jonathan Husky, Associate Professor, Statistics Department
• ABC Research Group, Biomedical Engineering Department
• University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hartford, CT
• Undergraduate Researcher, Summer 20XX (12 weeks, full time)
• Research Assistant, August 20XX-Present (10 hrs/week)
• If you are assisting with a research project funded by an external source (e.g., NSF, NIH), talk with your faculty mentor about the correct way to list that on your resume.
• If you received funding to support your work (e.g., SURF Award, UConn IDEA Grant), include that at the end of your description.

The order of information may vary based on how you are formatting your CV. Regardless of the order, it is essential that you are consistent. For example, if you lead with the project title for one research experience, you should lead with the title in all experiences. If you lead with the lab or research group name, stick with that throughout. Consistency is key.

Describing Your Research

For each research experience or research project you’ve engaged in, prepare descriptive sentences that explain the research, outlining the project goals and objectives, the steps you took to achieve your research goals, including methods used, and your results. Use action verbs to paint a picture of your research involvement and contributions. When possible, quantify your statements and incorporate scope, context, and purpose.

• Descriptions on a CV are typically in paragraph form, though you may opt for bullet points for organization and clarity.

Framework for structuring your descriptive statements:

• Overview of the project (Researched... to determine...; Explored and evaluated... for the purpose of...; Investigated the role of...)
• Key steps you took along the way (Surveyed...; Traveled to... for...; Examined...; Analyzed...; Collaborated with...; Evaluated...; Created...; Acquired and digitized...)
• Results/Outcomes (How did your work add value? What can we learn from your project? Established a correlation between....; Developed prototype of...; Drafted.....; Contributed to...)
• Awards/funding, if applicable (Awarded $4000 grant from the University of Connecticut as part of competitive University-wide application process to fund the project)

Research Lab Name, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT PI: Dr. First, Last Name, Title Research Assistant , Start Date (Month & Year) to End Date (or Present) Topic: One-line description of research topic

• Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, and key findings.
• Your Role - break down your project responsibilities and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments.
• Funding/Awards - If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well.
• Formatting – this content can be in one robust paragraph, or you can choose to break it into smaller segments using bullet points.

Dr. Jonathan Husky, Center for Advanced Animal Research, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT Research Assistant, August 20XX-Present (8 hrs/week) Project Title/Overview/Research Focus Participate in NIH funded research study investigating _____. Maintain _____ and conduct _____ for the purpose of _____. Use _____ methods to measure _____. Attend bi-weekly research group meetings to _____. Conduct literature reviews, analyze relevant scientific papers, and present to research group on a monthly basis.

Capturing multiple roles or involvement in multiple projects

If you have worked with the same research mentor for several years or on a variety of projects, consider starting with your research mentor’s information, then listing each research project with corresponding descriptions of your contributions to the work, starting with the current/most recent project and working backwards.

Research Assistant to Dr. ABC, Department of Psychological Sciences University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, Start Date (Month & Year) to Present

Project Title/Research Focus (dates working on this project) Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, key findings. Break down your role and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments. If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well (e.g., Collaborated on NSF-funded research assessing...)

Project Title/Research Focus (dates working on this project) Description – Conduct literature review on _____. Developed 70-question Qualtrics survey to assess _____. Collected responses from 500 participants using _____. Collaborated with team of 3 graduate student researchers to code data using _____. Co-presented results at XYZ conference in Chicago, IL.

Research Group Name, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT PI: Dr. First Last, Title, Department

Undergraduate Student Researcher , September 20XX-Present Topic: Description – overview of the research, big picture goals and objectives for context, methods used, key findings. Break down your role and contributions towards the goals and objectives. Elaborate on your accomplishments. If you received funding or awards related to this project, you can indicate that here, still listing the funding/awards in the relevant category. If the project you worked on was funded by an external source, list that as well (e.g., Collaborated on NSF-funded research assessing...)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Award Recipient , Summer 20XX Project Title: Description of research and your role.

Independent research

If you have engaged in a self-directed or independent research project, you can make that clear in your description of the project. If you received support or mentorship from faculty, you may choose to include that in your description.

Project Title Independent Researcher , University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (Dates) Faculty Mentor: Dr. First Last, Title, Department

Designed and conducted independent research project investigating the relationship between... Interviewed... to assess... Transcribed, coded, analyzed... Developed comprehensive resource booklet...

Funding: Awarded $4000 research grant from the University of Connecticut IDEA Grant program to fund the project.

Publications should be formatted in a manner appropriate for your field of study (e.g., APA, MLA), so your listings may vary from the examples provided below. Use the full citation when published. If accepted but not yet published, you can include “forthcoming” in place of the publication date.

If you are preparing a manuscript, but have not yet submitted your work for publication, or it has not been accepted, consider including that information in the description of your research.

If you have more than one manuscript that has been submitted or under review, but not yet accepted for publication, you might consider using a “Manuscripts under Review” section to highlight those.

Author(s) (in order). Title of Article. Journal Name, Edition/Year of Publication, Pages.

Husky, J. Huskies Forever: Establishing an Alumni Outreach Program. Journal of College Student Success. 20XX; 22(1): 44-48.

Last F, Husky J. Wellness, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students. Journal of College Student Success . Forthcoming, accepted for publication in April 20XX.

Presenting your research at a professional conference or similar event is a valuable experience and one that should be noted on your CV. Presentations can be in their own section, or you can list them with each research experience. Consider having a separate presentations category when you have multiple experiences to include, or if you want to draw attention to your presentations.

Formatting for presentations will be based on the conventions within your field of study. Talk with faculty mentors about the correct way to go about this for your academic discipline.

Wellness, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students , 10th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, June 1, 20XX, Boston, MA.

Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, April 20XX. Husky, Jonathan. “Huskies Forever: Establishing an Alumni Outreach Program” (poster presentation).

“History of Mascots at the University of Connecticut: 1934 to 2014.” Presented at 4th Annual College Sports Symposium. New York, NY, May 20XX (oral presentation).

Husky, Jonathan. (20XX, June XX-XX). Self-Esteem, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students (Poster Session). 10th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Research, Boston, MA.

Skills and Certifications

Skills and certifications may be combined into one category, or you can divide them into their own categories. Consider including laboratory skills, equipment, technology and software, animal handling, sample preparation and processing, database management, languages, and certifications that are relevant to your academic discipline and goals.

If you have a significant amount of skills in a particular area that you want to draw attention to, consider breaking down your skills into additional categories (see example 2).

Laboratory: ELISA, Fluorescent microscopy, microdissection, cell culture, Gel Electrophoresis, PCR Technology: MatLab, Minitab, SPSS, Stata Certifications: CITI Human Subjects Research Course – Biomedical Research and Social/Behavioral Research, American Red Cross CPR/AED, Pediatric CPR and First Aid Languages: Fluent in Hindi, Advanced Urdu

Laboratory Skills

• Crystallization; Fractional, Vacuum, and Steam Distillation; Gravity and Vacuum Filtration; Thin-layer Chromatography, Interpretation of HPLC, NMR, UV/VIS and IR spectra
• Spectrophotometry; Ion Exchange, Gel Filtration, and Affinity Chromatography; Western Blot Technique; SDS-PAGE
• PAGE and Agarose Gel, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, DNA synthesis, PCR, Transcription, Enzymatic Ligation
• Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Zeta Potential, DNA Functionalized Nanoparticles

Honors and Awards

Significant honors and awards that are not recognizable outside of UConn should be explained to give you credit for your accomplishments. Consider including a brief description to help readers understand the purpose and scope of the award. As you advance in your career, descriptions of undergraduate awards may be removed, listing only the award name and year.

• UConn IDEA Grant Recipient , April 20XX: Awarded $4000 grant from the University of Connecticut to support an independent research project conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Jonathan Husky.

20XX University Scholar, University of Connecticut

• Selected as one of XX students to participate in a prestigious program that supports design and pursuit of an intensive three-semester research project and learning plan during the final undergraduate semesters.

Summer Undergraduate Research Fund Award Recipient, Summer 20XX

• Awarded $4500 grant from the University of Connecticut through competitive application process to support an independent research project in collaboration with the ABC Lab.

CV Formatting and General Tips

• Review your CV with your faculty mentor/PI to assure you are not disclosing confidential research results or information and to assure you are clearly explaining the research project. Faculty mentors can also guide you on the appropriate conventions within your field of study.
• Be truthful – give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished but do not exaggerate or mislead your role in the research.
• Be careful with acronyms. If it is one that is widely used and recognizable within your field, it is fine to use it. If not, spell it out.
• CVs do not have a page limit. However, that does not mean you should include absolutely everything you have done. You want to strategically edit content and limit your CV to relevant information.
• CVs are formatted in an uncomplicated way. Avoid over-designing your CV. Use bold and italics strategically and minimally. Avoid underlining; this is typically reserved for hyperlinks.
• Use 11-12 point font and 1 inch margins. Your name should be 1-2 pts larger. Section headings can also be larger. Choose an easy-to-read font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman).
• Don’t crowd your content; use space!
• Faculty often include their CVs on their bio page or website. Review these to understand how this document is used and the conventions within your academic discipline.

Converting Your Undergraduate CV into a Research Résumé

The research résumé.

Your résumé provides potential employers and programs a snapshot of your background, skills, and experiences to help them assess your candidacy. Think of it as a marketing tool that you can use to strategically highlight and emphasize your most relevant background experiences and significant accomplishments.

Résumés are typically shorter than a CV (1-2 pages, depending on your field/industry), focusing on key highlights that are relevant to the opportunity you are seeking. You will need to tailor your résumé for each application or opportunity.

To convert your CV into a résumé, start by identifying the most relevant, applicable content. Copy that content into a new document. From there, you can adjust your formatting to fit your content on one page, possibly two, depending on the field/industry.

When formatting a résumé, you want to condense and tighten your formatting. Consider reducing the spacing between experiences, adjusting the margins to make them smaller (try .75” instead of 1”), and perhaps reducing the font size (10 or 11pt).

Key details about your research experience that are included on your CV need to be included on your résumé. These include your affiliations, PI/faculty mentor’s name, your position or title, and dates affiliated. Consider shortening your descriptions, trimming down to the most pertinent information that helps readers recognize the transferable skills gained through a research experience. Focus on the process and results of your work, aligning the skills you demonstrated and developed to the position you’re applying for. If your descriptions are in paragraph form, consider changing those to a bulleted list, as this is more common on a résumé.

General Research Résumé Tips

• Review your résumé with your faculty mentor/PI to assure you’re not disclosing confidential research results or information and that you are clearly explaining the research.
• Utilize strong action verbs to describe your research experiences. Contextualize your research experiences and contributions to the project.
• Quantify and qualify – provide numbers and details to help readers get a picture of your research involvement.
• Tailor your résumé to your target audience. Use different versions and/or format for different fields or types of opportunities.
• Make the category headings work for you. Similar to your CV, you can group related experiences together in categories such as Research Experience, Academic Accomplishments, Publications, and Presentations. Don’t feel limited to standard resume categories such as Work Experience or Activities.
• Use the correct tense: present tense for experiences you’re actively engaged in and past tense for those you are no longer engaged in.
• The higher up something is on the page, the more likely it will be read; be strategic about the order in which you present information.
• Format should be easy to read and not cluttered or text-heavy.
• Have your résumé reviewed by trusted advisors.
• Save your résumé as a PDF to maintain formatting (unless the program or recipient specifically requests it in another format).
• Be truthful – give yourself credit for what you’ve accomplished, but do not exaggerate or mislead.

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How To Write A Literature Review - A Complete Guide

Table of Contents

A literature review is much more than just another section in your research paper. It forms the very foundation of your research. It is a formal piece of writing where you analyze the existing theoretical framework, principles, and assumptions and use that as a base to shape your approach to the research question.

Curating and drafting a solid literature review section not only lends more credibility to your research paper but also makes your research tighter and better focused. But, writing literature reviews is a difficult task. It requires extensive reading, plus you have to consider market trends and technological and political changes, which tend to change in the blink of an eye.

Now streamline your literature review process with the help of SciSpace Copilot. With this AI research assistant, you can efficiently synthesize and analyze a vast amount of information, identify key themes and trends, and uncover gaps in the existing research. Get real-time explanations, summaries, and answers to your questions for the paper you're reviewing, making navigating and understanding the complex literature landscape easier.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore everything from the definition of a literature review, its appropriate length, various types of literature reviews, and how to write one.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a collation of survey, research, critical evaluation, and assessment of the existing literature in a preferred domain.

Eminent researcher and academic Arlene Fink, in her book Conducting Research Literature Reviews , defines it as the following:

“A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory, and by so doing, provides a description, summary, and critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated.

Literature reviews are designed to provide an overview of sources you have explored while researching a particular topic, and to demonstrate to your readers how your research fits within a larger field of study.”

Simply put, a literature review can be defined as a critical discussion of relevant pre-existing research around your research question and carving out a definitive place for your study in the existing body of knowledge. Literature reviews can be presented in multiple ways: a section of an article, the whole research paper itself, or a chapter of your thesis.

A literature review does function as a summary of sources, but it also allows you to analyze further, interpret, and examine the stated theories, methods, viewpoints, and, of course, the gaps in the existing content.

As an author, you can discuss and interpret the research question and its various aspects and debate your adopted methods to support the claim.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

A literature review is meant to help your readers understand the relevance of your research question and where it fits within the existing body of knowledge. As a researcher, you should use it to set the context, build your argument, and establish the need for your study.

What is the importance of a literature review?

The literature review is a critical part of research papers because it helps you:

• Gain an in-depth understanding of your research question and the surrounding area
• Convey that you have a thorough understanding of your research area and are up-to-date with the latest changes and advancements
• Establish how your research is connected or builds on the existing body of knowledge and how it could contribute to further research
• Elaborate on the validity and suitability of your theoretical framework and research methodology
• Identify and highlight gaps and shortcomings in the existing body of knowledge and how things need to change
• Convey to readers how your study is different or how it contributes to the research area

How long should a literature review be?

Ideally, the literature review should take up 15%-40% of the total length of your manuscript. So, if you have a 10,000-word research paper, the minimum word count could be 1500.

Your literature review format depends heavily on the kind of manuscript you are writing — an entire chapter in case of doctoral theses, a part of the introductory section in a research article, to a full-fledged review article that examines the previously published research on a topic.

Another determining factor is the type of research you are doing. The literature review section tends to be longer for secondary research projects than primary research projects.

What are the different types of literature reviews?

All literature reviews are not the same. There are a variety of possible approaches that you can take. It all depends on the type of research you are pursuing.

Here are the different types of literature reviews:

Argumentative review

It is called an argumentative review when you carefully present literature that only supports or counters a specific argument or premise to establish a viewpoint.

Integrative review

It is a type of literature review focused on building a comprehensive understanding of a topic by combining available theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence.

Methodological review

This approach delves into the ''how'' and the ''what" of the research question —  you cannot look at the outcome in isolation; you should also review the methodology used.

Systematic review

This form consists of an overview of existing evidence pertinent to a clearly formulated research question, which uses pre-specified and standardized methods to identify and critically appraise relevant research and collect, report, and analyze data from the studies included in the review.

Meta-analysis review

Meta-analysis uses statistical methods to summarize the results of independent studies. By combining information from all relevant studies, meta-analysis can provide more precise estimates of the effects than those derived from the individual studies included within a review.

Historical review

Historical literature reviews focus on examining research throughout a period, often starting with the first time an issue, concept, theory, or phenomenon emerged in the literature, then tracing its evolution within the scholarship of a discipline. The purpose is to place research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments and identify future research's likely directions.

Theoretical Review

This form aims to examine the corpus of theory accumulated regarding an issue, concept, theory, and phenomenon. The theoretical literature review helps to establish what theories exist, the relationships between them, the degree the existing approaches have been investigated, and to develop new hypotheses to be tested.

Scoping Review

The Scoping Review is often used at the beginning of an article, dissertation, or research proposal. It is conducted before the research to highlight gaps in the existing body of knowledge and explains why the project should be greenlit.

State-of-the-Art Review

The State-of-the-Art review is conducted periodically, focusing on the most recent research. It describes what is currently known, understood, or agreed upon regarding the research topic and highlights where there are still disagreements.

Can you use the first person in a literature review?

When writing literature reviews, you should avoid the usage of first-person pronouns. It means that instead of "I argue that" or "we argue that," the appropriate expression would be "this research paper argues that."

Do you need an abstract for a literature review?

Ideally, yes. It is always good to have a condensed summary that is self-contained and independent of the rest of your review. As for how to draft one, you can follow the same fundamental idea when preparing an abstract for a literature review. It should also include:

• The research topic and your motivation behind selecting it
• A one-sentence thesis statement
• An explanation of the kinds of literature featured in the review
• Summary of what you've learned
• Conclusions you drew from the literature you reviewed
• Potential implications and future scope for research

Here's an example of the abstract of a literature review

Is a literature review written in the past tense?

Yes, the literature review should ideally be written in the past tense. You should not use the present or future tense when writing one. The exceptions are when you have statements describing events that happened earlier than the literature you are reviewing or events that are currently occurring; then, you can use the past perfect or present perfect tenses.

How many sources for a literature review?

There are multiple approaches to deciding how many sources to include in a literature review section. The first approach would be to look level you are at as a researcher. For instance, a doctoral thesis might need 60+ sources. In contrast, you might only need to refer to 5-15 sources at the undergraduate level.

The second approach is based on the kind of literature review you are doing — whether it is merely a chapter of your paper or if it is a self-contained paper in itself. When it is just a chapter, sources should equal the total number of pages in your article's body. In the second scenario, you need at least three times as many sources as there are pages in your work.

Quick tips on how to write a literature review

To know how to write a literature review, you must clearly understand its impact and role in establishing your work as substantive research material.

You need to follow the below-mentioned steps, to write a literature review:

• Outline the purpose behind the literature review
• Search relevant literature
• Examine and assess the relevant resources
• Discover connections by drawing deep insights from the resources
• Structure planning to write a good literature review

1. Outline and identify the purpose of  a literature review

As a first step on how to write a literature review, you must know what the research question or topic is and what shape you want your literature review to take. Ensure you understand the research topic inside out, or else seek clarifications. You must be able to the answer below questions before you start:

• How many sources do I need to include?
• What kind of sources should I analyze?
• How much should I critically evaluate each source?
• Should I summarize, synthesize or offer a critique of the sources?
• Do I need to include any background information or definitions?

Additionally, you should know that the narrower your research topic is, the swifter it will be for you to restrict the number of sources to be analyzed.

2. Search relevant literature

Dig deeper into search engines to discover what has already been published around your chosen topic. Make sure you thoroughly go through appropriate reference sources like books, reports, journal articles, government docs, and web-based resources.

You must prepare a list of keywords and their different variations. You can start your search from any library’s catalog, provided you are an active member of that institution. The exact keywords can be extended to widen your research over other databases and academic search engines like:

• Google Scholar
• Microsoft Academic
• Science.gov

Besides, it is not advisable to go through every resource word by word. Alternatively, what you can do is you can start by reading the abstract and then decide whether that source is relevant to your research or not.

Additionally, you must spend surplus time assessing the quality and relevance of resources. It would help if you tried preparing a list of citations to ensure that there lies no repetition of authors, publications, or articles in the literature review.

3. Examine and assess the sources

It is nearly impossible for you to go through every detail in the research article. So rather than trying to fetch every detail, you have to analyze and decide which research sources resemble closest and appear relevant to your chosen domain.

While analyzing the sources, you should look to find out answers to questions like:

• What question or problem has the author been describing and debating?
• What is the definition of critical aspects?
• How well the theories, approach, and methodology have been explained?
• Whether the research theory used some conventional or new innovative approach?
• How relevant are the key findings of the work?
• In what ways does it relate to other sources on the same topic?
• What challenges does this research paper pose to the existing theory
• What are the possible contributions or benefits it adds to the subject domain?

Be always mindful that you refer only to credible and authentic resources. It would be best if you always take references from different publications to validate your theory.

Always keep track of important information or data you can present in your literature review right from the beginning. It will help steer your path from any threats of plagiarism and also make it easier to curate an annotated bibliography or reference section.

4. Discover connections

At this stage, you must start deciding on the argument and structure of your literature review. To accomplish this, you must discover and identify the relations and connections between various resources while drafting your abstract.

A few aspects that you should be aware of while writing a literature review include:

• Rise to prominence: Theories and methods that have gained reputation and supporters over time.
• Constant scrutiny: Concepts or theories that repeatedly went under examination.
• Contradictions and conflicts: Theories, both the supporting and the contradictory ones, for the research topic.
• Knowledge gaps: What exactly does it fail to address, and how to bridge them with further research?
• Influential resources: Significant research projects available that have been upheld as milestones or perhaps, something that can modify the current trends

Once you join the dots between various past research works, it will be easier for you to draw a conclusion and identify your contribution to the existing knowledge base.

5. Structure planning to write a good literature review

There exist different ways towards planning and executing the structure of a literature review. The format of a literature review varies and depends upon the length of the research.

Like any other research paper, the literature review format must contain three sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The goals and objectives of the research question determine what goes inside these three sections.

Nevertheless, a good literature review can be structured according to the chronological, thematic, methodological, or theoretical framework approach.

Literature review samples

1. Standalone

2. As a section of a research paper

How SciSpace Discover makes literature review a breeze?

SciSpace Discover is a one-stop solution to do an effective literature search and get barrier-free access to scientific knowledge. It is an excellent repository where you can find millions of only peer-reviewed articles and full-text PDF files. Here’s more on how you can use it:

Find the right information

Find what you want quickly and easily with comprehensive search filters that let you narrow down papers according to PDF availability, year of publishing, document type, and affiliated institution. Moreover, you can sort the results based on the publishing date, citation count, and relevance.

Assess credibility of papers quickly

When doing the literature review, it is critical to establish the quality of your sources. They form the foundation of your research. SciSpace Discover helps you assess the quality of a source by providing an overview of its references, citations, and performance metrics.

Get the complete picture in no time

SciSpace Discover’s personalized suggestion engine helps you stay on course and get the complete picture of the topic from one place. Every time you visit an article page, it provides you links to related papers. Besides that, it helps you understand what’s trending, who are the top authors, and who are the leading publishers on a topic.

Make referring sources super easy

To ensure you don't lose track of your sources, you must start noting down your references when doing the literature review. SciSpace Discover makes this step effortless. Click the 'cite' button on an article page, and you will receive preloaded citation text in multiple styles — all you've to do is copy-paste it into your manuscript.

Final tips on how to write a literature review

A massive chunk of time and effort is required to write a good literature review. But, if you go about it systematically, you'll be able to save a ton of time and build a solid foundation for your research.

We hope this guide has helped you answer several key questions you have about writing literature reviews.

Would you like to explore SciSpace Discover and kick off your literature search right away? You can get started here .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. how to start a literature review.

• What questions do you want to answer?

• What sources do you need to answer these questions?

• What information do these sources contain?

• How can you use this information to answer your questions?

2. What to include in a literature review?

• A brief background of the problem or issue

• What has previously been done to address the problem or issue

• A description of what you will do in your project

• How this study will contribute to research on the subject

3. Why literature review is important?

The literature review is an important part of any research project because it allows the writer to look at previous studies on a topic and determine existing gaps in the literature, as well as what has already been done. It will also help them to choose the most appropriate method for their own study.

4. How to cite a literature review in APA format?

To cite a literature review in APA style, you need to provide the author's name, the title of the article, and the year of publication. For example: Patel, A. B., & Stokes, G. S. (2012). The relationship between personality and intelligence: A meta-analysis of longitudinal research. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(1), 16-21

5. What are the components of a literature review?

• A brief introduction to the topic, including its background and context. The introduction should also include a rationale for why the study is being conducted and what it will accomplish.

• A description of the methodologies used in the study. This can include information about data collection methods, sample size, and statistical analyses.

• A presentation of the findings in an organized format that helps readers follow along with the author's conclusions.

6. What are common errors in writing literature review?

• Not spending enough time to critically evaluate the relevance of resources, observations and conclusions.

• Totally relying on secondary data while ignoring primary data.

• Letting your personal bias seep into your interpretation of existing literature.

• No detailed explanation of the procedure to discover and identify an appropriate literature review.

7. What are the 5 C's of writing literature review?

• Cite - the sources you utilized and referenced in your research.

• Compare - existing arguments, hypotheses, methodologies, and conclusions found in the knowledge base.

• Contrast - the arguments, topics, methodologies, approaches, and disputes that may be found in the literature.

• Critique - the literature and describe the ideas and opinions you find more convincing and why.

• Connect - the various studies you reviewed in your research.

8. How many sources should a literature review have?

When it is just a chapter, sources should equal the total number of pages in your article's body. if it is a self-contained paper in itself, you need at least three times as many sources as there are pages in your work.

9. Can literature review have diagrams?

• To represent an abstract idea or concept

• To explain the steps of a process or procedure

• To help readers understand the relationships between different concepts

10. How old should sources be in a literature review?

Sources for a literature review should be as current as possible or not older than ten years. The only exception to this rule is if you are reviewing a historical topic and need to use older sources.

11. What are the types of literature review?

• Argumentative review

• Integrative review

• Methodological review

• Systematic review

• Meta-analysis review

• Historical review

• Theoretical review

• Scoping review

• State-of-the-Art review

12. Is a literature review mandatory?

Yes. Literature review is a mandatory part of any research project. It is a critical step in the process that allows you to establish the scope of your research, and provide a background for the rest of your work.

But before you go,

• Six Online Tools for Easy Literature Review
• Evaluating literature review: systematic vs. scoping reviews
• Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review
• Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples

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How to write a literature review: Tips, Format, and Significance

A literature review evaluates available sources on a topic. it analyzes, summarizes, and compares literary works. the review can be included in an article, research report, or thesis, or it can stand alone..

This article provides essential tips on writing a literature review, including format, starting points, common mistakes, and the significance of the literature review. It also discusses how to write a literature review in a step-by-step and pointwise manner.

The literature review typically follows a conventional essay format, consisting of an introduction, body, and conclusion. It differs from a footnoted bibliography, which is a list of resources with individual recaps.

Discover the necessary components for the literature review.

The number of resources you need to examine depends on the literature review and your research proficiency.

A comprehensive literature review should be thorough and able to analyze and summarize extensive details from various sources.

Also read- How Can You Increase Your Citations for a Research Paper: Research Tip

Write an Email to Professor: Complete Dos and Don’ts Discussion

What is the purpose and importance of writing a literature review?

A literature review can increase the number of citations you receive, thereby enhancing your research profile. In general, review papers tend to receive more citations than research articles.If you have knowledge in any subject, it is advisable to write a comprehensive literature review that covers all relevant topics in a wise and informative manner.If you have a comprehensive collection of data on a specific research topic, it is recommended to analyze and synthesize them into an informative literature review article.If you do not have access to a lab facility, it may be beneficial to write a literature review. This will allow you to use your time effectively and maintain a consistent research publication schedule.If your thesis contains sufficient data, it may be beneficial to transform it into a comprehensive literature review paper with additional effort.To create a literature review article, incorporate relevant topics into your research that pertain to a specific problem area.

The literature review demonstrates an understanding and analysis of the existing literature on a particular subject, followed by the synthesis of information.Determine the existing content on a specific topic.Here is a summary of the essential principles.Identify important collaborations or recurring patternsAnalyze the strengths and weaknesses.Please identify any areas that have not been covered in the study.Recognize any conflicting proofProvide a comprehensive background for the research conducted in the term paper.Identify your functionThe literature review should focus on identifying and addressing any unresolved issues.

What is the proper way to begin a Literature Review?

Please select a topic for written discussion.Focus specifically on the concerns related to your research study in that area.Identify and gather the appropriate sources.Determine the range of sources required.Create Your OverviewCreate Your Initial DraftRevise and ModifyCreate a literature review in the form of a paper.

What is your task in your literature review?

Examine your task question and criteria sheet to determine what to focus on when looking for information in the literature.

Conduct a thorough literature review to explore existing research on the topic.

What source for literature??

You should utilize a range of academic and literary sources that are reliable, current, and authoritative in order to gather comprehensive and relevant information. These sources may include books, journal articles, reports, government documents, conference papers, and credible websites. The library collection would be a valuable resource to search for your references.

How many resources??

The number of sources required for a literature review varies depending on its purpose and the individual’s level of study. Guidance from a research guide or previous experience can help determine the necessary amount.

Please remember to note down the bibliographic information of your sources.

Remember to record the research title, date, authors’ names, page numbers, and authors, as this will be beneficial for future reference.

Review the literary works Carefully read each source and look for the disagreements presented rather than focusing on the truths. When creating your testimonial, it is important to structure it by including themes and ideas as you begin and revise. It may be helpful to use a matrix, table, or idea map to visually depict and analyze the relationships between the different sources.Analyze the literature you have. It is necessary to review the sources in order to demonstrate a thorough critical analysis.

When using any resource, it is important to ask the following questions: What are the necessary terms and concepts? How relevant is this short article to my specific topic? What are the major connections and patterns? How did the writer organize their points? How reliable and credible is this source? What are the similarities and differences between the sources? Are there any gaps in the literature that need more research?

How to write a successful literature review.

Avoid rushing to write a substantial literature review on the night before the paper is due.Please begin work on it as soon as possible, including a review of the literature.It is important to also focus on limiting your topic.It is advisable to have someone else proofread your paper before making any changes.Proofreading can assist in catching any mistakes that you may have missed, while also helping you improve your paper.When a document is edited by an expert or reviewed by a buddy or family member, it can make a significant difference.It is important to prioritize your time in order to complete your paper by the due date. Many individuals tend to procrastinate when it comes to completing assignments.Make sure to attend to your paper on a daily basis.Please adhere to the guidelines given to you by your instructor.Please use the appropriate citation style and provide the required number of sources.It is important to have confidence in your literature review.Minor errors can have significant consequences when it comes to quality.

How to write a literature review?

A literature review typically consists of an introduction, body, and conclusion, which provide an overview of the topic and present the overall perspective or argument.

What are the characteristics of an effective literature review?

The information provided should be comprehensive enough to cover the topic adequately.The resource should be concise and reliable.It is important to establish a solid foundation for studying the subject.The research inquiry should be addressed along with the theoretical framework.It is important for you determine research studies and theories that support your topic.The writer must adhere to the specified format design.It is important to find a balance between resources for and against a specific aspect or argument.It should be broad and comprehensive enough to provide the necessary information on the subject.The slimness of your research study should eliminate unnecessary details.It is recommended to obtain information from reliable sources.Arranging literature based on the weight of points provided adds more significance and does not necessarily require logical organization.The paper should address the concerns raised in the research study and incorporate the theoretical framework.The sentence must acknowledge research and evidence that supports the topic.The critical term, terminology, and definitions should be specified.In addition, it is necessary to include the definition of acronyms.A solid foundation for your research study topic can be established through a literature review.

What is the structure of a literature review?

The introduction should include a summary of the content that will be covered. Please explain the purpose of writing a testimonial and the significance of the subject. The scope of the testimony will cover various aspects of the issue. The criteria for selecting literature include the sources used and the range of dates. The review follows an organizational pattern.

The introduction should include.

A literature review can achieve either goal. It can provide statistics or another compelling statement to engage the reader and introduce the topic. It can also affirm the importance of studying the subject. Additionally, it can briefly mention previous research that has been conducted. This summarizes the concluding thoughts derived from the testimonials. The research study addresses weaknesses or gaps in order to strengthen understanding and knowledge.

Body paragraphs.

Each body paragraph should address different relevant motifs related to the subject. It is necessary to incorporate multiple evaluated readings into each section to establish a coherent connection between the various resources. It is essential to analyze each source critically to determine their contribution to the themes being researched.

The body may include sections on:Background history. Approaches. There have been previous research studies conducted on the topic. Conventional versus alternative viewpoints. Initial inquiries are being made. Conclusions are being made.

Conclusion.

The verdict should provide a summary of the information.The literature contains both important arrangements and disagreements.There may be potential gaps or areas that require further investigation.Your perspective on the topic is unbiased.Based on the evidence presented in the literature review, the overall styles and ideas seem to exist.Make a connection between the analysis of existing literature and your own research.

This is a checklist for a literature review.

• Have you thoroughly described the function and scope?
• Can you provide a list of appropriate and credible scholarly literary works?
• Have you recorded the bibliographical details of the sources?
• Have you reviewed and evaluated your analyses?
• There are gaps in the literary works and research that have been identified.
• Have various approaches, theories, hypotheses or versions been explored?
• The differing viewpoints were discussed.Did they consist of a concluding statement, introduction, and main body?
• Have you examined the punctuation as well as the grammar?

It is important to include essential points or fill in any missing information. Thank you.

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If I have to present the literature review in presentation form how that can be done One more question while writing the presentation whether vthe text should contain author name Or not

The same way how you present the research paper in presentation (in a conference or oral presentation), you can do for literature review also. But you need to put a comparative table and scheme to make your presentation more understanding. By adding a scheme, table, chart, etc. you can make your presentation more effective.

As I understand writing a presentation means making conference or oral presentation. Yes, you should give the author name in the first slide in your ppt and the same fore conference board.

This is so informing, however when it comes to creating the gap by using your own words, in most cases supervisors authors. How can someone crest a gap using the researchers words after analysing the literature

Thank You.. finding a gap means, if you read more literature for literature review, then you will get information, and there is some gap/possibility in every work. If you can find that, it will help you to make your flow better for effective literature review writing.

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How to list document review on your resume.

Recently, I’ve helped several friends locate document review positions, with both my current company and agencies I’ve worked with in the past. Each time, I am reminded that everyone struggles with how best to list document review experience on their resume.

In general, I am a fan of simplicity and reducing clutter. Where possible, it seems reasonable to compress multiple projects into a single block with one description and timeframe, especially if the projects were close in time and for the same agency. Treat each employer/agency as a single job, even if they have overlapping timelines. If you’re applying to non-review jobs, this compressed format helps show the consistency of your employment history.

If your work history has a rather problematic timeline, consider creating a functional resume instead of a chronological one.  With this format, you can list your skills and experience separate and apart from the individual jobs you’ve held.

I generally advocate having a separate review-specific resume, including additional detail that is relevant to document review work but unnecessary on a less focused position.  Some important items that you might want to use in your description for a document review-specific resume:

• Area of Law
• Paper or Electronic Review
• Review Platform
• Type of review (responsiveness, privilege, significant issue coding, etc)
• Quality Control or other similar work performed
• Any other feedback you received – were you ranked as a fast, accurate coder or invited back for second level work?
• If you did more than just code documents, point that out.

Skills that may be of particular interest to document review recruiters include foreign languages and computer or database skills. Be careful about getting in over your head, though. Just because you took an intro to Farsi course in college, you likely won’t be able to work efficiently in a review situation. Expect to have your language skills tested when you join a foreign language project.

If you’ve never used any document review platforms, consider going through some of the online tutorials offered for free on company websites. Having some basic understanding of what to expect could help when you start a new project. For example, Relativity , Concordance  and iCONECT offer free online training options. Those without free online training, like Xerox Omnix , might offer sales or other promotional materials you can use to familiarize yourself with the tool.  Often, this information can be found in a “support” section of the company’s website. Don’t pass on a project because of inexperience with a specific platform, however. If you have any reasonable level of technical skills, you will likely be able to quickly master the platform with a small amount of training.

One important thing not to do, however, is identify clients and law firms as employers or in your description without explicit authorization. While it is perfectly acceptable to say you worked at Law Staffers for an AmLaw 50 firm working on an admiralty matter for an international beverage manufacturer, Listing Anonymous Law Firm LLP or Major Shipping Services, S.A. as your employer is inappropriate (you should, however, provide such information during conflict checks as necessary).

In a separate log , you should maintain a personal list of conflicts information. Here, you would want to track the start and end date, agency, case, client and opposing parties. When you’re asked to complete a conflicts form, this list will allow you to quickly (and accurately) provide the requested information. After a while, projects all seem to blend together. Remembering the name of a client from that weekend project last year gets difficult twelve projects down the road.

Finally, it’s important to get a second set of eyes to take a look at your resume.  Send it to a trusted friend or colleague in the exact same manner you will use for applications – for emailed copies you should always send as PDF unless another format is specifically requested.  If your word processor doesn’t save to PDF, look for a PDF printer like PDF995 .  I like to personally save my file as  Lyon, Mark – Resume.pdf .  Recruiters will often save many resumes in one large folder – making certain yours has a unique name will simplify things for them.

Resume image courtesy of Kafka4Prez .

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How should I state my peer review experience in the CV?

I've been invited to review manuscripts for two journals in my field frequently. I noticed in the first couple of cases my supervisor was the associate editor which has selected me in the process, but for rest of them, I was assigned to the papers by other editors (not from our network).

So, I assumed that my name should be there somewhere in a list, such that the editors may choose me when they see a paper matches my keywords or my previous review results, etc.

Now, I want to state that in my CV and in a list separate from my ad-hoc review experiences, but I do not know what suitable key phrase I should use.

For instance, can I use the following?

Member of the review board for Journals X and Y

By the way, I work in the field of computer science.

• peer-review

2 Answers 2

This is the sort of thing which will vary more from field to field, and you may want to talk to other people in your field, but my general inclination is not to do so. Unless you have been specifically told that there is some review board you are on, or been invited to be on, this may not even exist. Aside from the ethics, if this is a prominent journal, and one of the editors sees your CV, they could react extremely negatively. A better solution might be that if you are going to list what journals you have reviewed for is to list how many articles you have reviewed for a journal if you have reviewed more than one.

• 5 It is probably enough to just say "a reviewer for ACM SigPlan" or whatever. –  Buffy Commented Mar 16, 2019 at 23:23
• Referee for reputed international journals –  Alchimista Commented Mar 17, 2019 at 9:42

Can I use for instance, "member of the review board" for journals X and Y?

I agree with Joshua, it's a bit risky to present it this way unless you are sure that this journal has something that they call "review board" and that you are on it (it might not exist or have a different name). Personally I just have a section called "Reviewing activities" with a list of journals/conferences I reviewed for ordered by year.

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• How should I approach writing a literature review at the graduate level?
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• / How should I approach writing a literature review at the graduate level?

What is the purpose of a Literature Review? For a graduate student the purpose of academic writing changes from what it was as an undergraduate. Where undergraduates often write to demonstrate a mastery of existing knowledge, graduate students are considered scholars and move toward creating new knowledge. Writing in graduate school, then, focuses on communicating that new knowledge to others in their field. In order to communicate this knowledge to other scholars, however, it also necessary to explain how that knowledge engages ongoing scholarly conversations in the field.

A literature review is a common genre for many types of writing you’ll have to do as a graduate student and scholar. Not only do dissertations contain literature reviews, but most articles and grant proposals have some form of literature review included in them. The reason the literature review is so prevalent in scholarly writing is that it functions as an argument about how your project fits in the ongoing scholarly conversation in your field and justifies your project.

A successful literature review does more than list the research that has preceded your work. A literature review is not simply a summary of research. Your literature review must not only demonstrate that you understand important conversations and debates surrounding your project and your position in regard to the conversations, but it must also create an argument as to why your work is relevant to your field of study. In order to create such an argument you must evaluate the relevant research, describing its strengths and weaknesses in relation to your project. You must then explain how your project will build on the work of other researchers, and fill the scholarly gaps left by other researchers. What is typically included in a Literature Review and how do I start?

To show how your project joins an existing scholarly conversation you need to provide readers with the necessary background to understand your research project and persuade them that your intervention in the scholarly conversation is necessary. The first step is to evaluate and analyze the scholarship that is key to understanding your work. The scholarship you evaluate may include previous research on similar topics, theoretical concepts and perspectives, or methodological approaches. Evaluating existing research means more than just summarizing the scholar’s main point. You will also want to assess the strengths and limits of the writer’s project and approach. Questions to consider as you read include: What problems or issues is the writer exploring? What position does the writer take? How is the writer intervening in an ongoing conversation? Where does the writer leave the issue?

Once you have evaluated the research of others, you need to consider how to integrate ideas from other scholars with your ideas and research project. You will also need to show your readers which research is relevant to understanding your project and explain how you position your work in relationship to what has come before your project. In order to do this, it may be helpful to think about the nature of your research project. Not all research has the same purpose. For example, your research project may focus on extending existing research by applying it in a new context. Or you may be questioning the findings of existing research, or you may be pulling together two or more previously unconnected threads of research. Or your project may be bringing a new theoretical lens or interpretation to existing questions. The focus of your research project will determine the kind of material you need to include in your literature review. What are some approaches for organizing a Literature Review? In the first part of a literature review you typically establish several things. You should define or identify your project and briefly point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic – conflicts, gaps in research, foundational research or theory, etc. You should also establish your position – or argument - for the project and the organization of the review.

In the body of the literature review, consider organizing the research and theory according a particular approach. For example, you could discuss the research chronologically. Or you could organize the research thematically, around key ideas or terms or theoretical approaches. Your literature review may include definitions of key terms and the sources from which they are drawn, descriptions of relevant debates in the field, or a description of the most current thinking on your topic.

You will also want to provide clear transitions and strong organizing sentences at the start of sections or paragraphs. You may find it helpful to divide the body of the review up into individual sections with individual subheadings. As you summarize and evaluate studies or articles keep in mind that each article should not necessarily get the same amount of attention. Some scholarship will be more central to your project and will therefore have to be discussed at more length. There also may be some scholarship that you choose not to include, so you might need to explain those decisions. At every turn, you want to keep in mind how you are making the case for how your research will advance the ongoing scholarly conversation. What can the Writing Center do to help? It can sometimes be difficult, after reading pages and pages of research in your field, to step back from the work and decide how best to approach your literature review. Even before you begin to write you may find a consultation in the Writing Center will help you plan out your literature review. Consultants at the Writing Center are experienced in working with scholars to help them reflect on and organize their work in a literature review so it creates the argument for your project. Make an appointment to work with us on your focus and organization even before you begin to write. We are also able to help you by reading and responding to your drafts or to help with issues of documentation. We can help you understand the genre conventions of the literature review, work through revisions, and help you learn how to edit your own work.  We recommend that you come in early to give yourself enough time to work through any problems that may come up as you write.

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• How to Make a Resume:...

How to Make a Resume: Beginner's Writing Guide with Examples

30 min read · Updated on May 22, 2024

Your dream job is one resume away!

Your resume is arguably the most important financial document you'll ever own. And before you think, “Yeah – right” let's consider for a moment. Without a resume, you don't get the job, so you can't pay bills, support a family, go to the big game, have that weekend trip, or plan for retirement. Your resume is the doorway to your future, so let's make sure it's perfect.

Part of making it perfect is remembering that it's a targeted career marketing document – not a chronicle of your life. So, how do you write a resume? In this beginner's writing guide, we'll show you how to make a resume and provide examples of what each section should look like. 

Grab a cup of coffee and strap in, because you're about to learn everything you need to know about how to make a new resume!

Table of contents:

The purpose of a resume

Avoid rejection by the ATS

What is your career target?

Build your personal brand, what should your resume look like, how to make a resume – the layout.

How long does it take to put together a resume?

A major resume no-no: typos

How to make your resume more professional

Theory in practice – resume examples

The most basic purpose of a resume is to sell your skills , achievements , and qualifications to prospective employers. This one document can financially make or break you. Let's take a quick look at what being unemployed costs you per day (assuming a five-day workweek):

If you make $40,000 per year, you lose about $155 every day that you're out of work

If you make $50,000 per year, you lose about $190 every day that you're out of work

If you make $75,000 per year, you lose about $288 every day that you're out of work

If you make $100,000 per year, you lose about $385 every day that you're out of work

Clearly, finding out how to make a resume for a job is critical so that you can properly sell your skills, qualifications, experiences, and achievements to prospective employers. 

The job market is tough and highly competitive; you have to stand out in a sea of qualified candidates by creating a compelling narrative that tells a story of value, keeping in mind that your resume is supposed to do a few things for you:

Introduce you to a new company

Underscore how your experiences and education are relevant

Showcase how your skills and competencies will benefit the new company's team

Win interviews

Avoid rejection by the ATS 

What do you know about applicant tracking systems? Job seeking can be compared to throwing your resume into a black hole. You can go through 100 listings on any job search website and complete the online application with zero results. 

Ever had that happen? It's okay, it happens to everyone at some point or another! 

The problem is that you're probably not putting the correct keywords into your resume. When you hit “Submit” on an online application, it isn't magically emailed to the hiring manager. 

Oh, no! 

It goes through a computer system that scans your resume for specific keywords that can be found in the job description posted by the company. And, just so you know, approximately 90% of companies use ATS scans , including everything from mom-and-pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. 

The companies use these programs because they just don't have time for a human to go through all the resumes they receive. Depending on the job opening, a company can get between  250 and 500 applicants . Can you imagine being the person who has to sift through all those resumes? 

Here is where the ATS steps in. It's designed to weed through candidates to narrow the applicant pool, so that the human hiring manager has a more reasonable resume load to go through. It ranks the remaining candidates in order based on how much of a match they are for the position that's open. 

Being overlooked by the ATS is one of the number one reasons job seekers get ghosted by companies.

Once your resume makes it through the ATS and gets into the hands of a hiring manager, don't think they're going to sit down and read each one. Who has that kind of time? You should expect that the first round of resume sorting will consist of them flipping through the stack to pick the ones that stand out within about 6 seconds of glancing at them. 

PRO TIP: Put your resume on a table, stand up, and look at it from a little distance. Is it eye-catching? Can you tell the position you're seeking just by glancing at it? Set a timer if you have to, but no more than 10 seconds.

Speaking of eye-catching, don't make the same mistake as a lot of your rival job seekers by being too generic with your resume. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being non-specific will open doors to more opportunities. The problem is that the hiring manager won't be able to tell exactly where you'll fit within their organization. 

The first step in winning an interview is being sure that your resume actually makes it into the hands of a human being at the company you apply to. Start by defining what you want to do.

So the first, and most important, step in crafting the perfect resume is to narrow down your target career path. The more specific you are with this first step, the more response you'll receive from hiring managers because they'll be able to tell exactly how you fit within their organization. There are four areas to focus on as you begin to chart your career path:

Industry: Do you want to work in private sector, nonprofit, government, or public roles?

Geography: This one is more in-depth than choosing rural vs urban. It also includes whether you want to work in a dynamic or static environment.

Company size: You may not think it, but having an idea about whether you want to work in a small company or one with thousands of employees is important. 

Role: Saving the best for last, you have to know what position you want.

On the surface, it may seem like these things are only important for the job search aspect of landing a new position, but you have to know what voice to write your resume in, too. Part of that is knowing your audience. When you understand your audience, you can build a personal brand that resonates with what they're looking for in a new staff member.

Now that you've gotten your target career path nailed down, the next step is to brand you. Think of yourself as a product and your resume is the packaging. Companies spend a lot of time on their branding and packaging - you have to do the same thing.

The best place to start is with a  career assessment . Taking one of these tests can help you to identify your strengths, what sets you apart from others, and key themes of your professional identity. Just like Nike and Coca-Cola have timeless taglines and catchphrases that succinctly define what they have to offer to consumers, your personal brand has to tell a concise, yet compelling, story. This is where your resume comes in.

Your resume isn't just a piece of paper you give to a hiring manager or upload to a website that says, “I'm interested in this job.” Your resume is a personal marketing tool. You shape that tool with words that describe your experiences and achievements, to impress and grab the attention of the hiring manager. 

Unlike Nike's “Just Do It” phrase, your personal brand isn't something you build and forget. It is fluid and should be revisited and refined as you gain new skills, experiences, and achievements. Weave the elements of your brand into every section of your resume.

There is a common misconception that entry-level resumes look different than executive resumes. The reality is that the only difference is how much content is available to write about. 

Obviously, someone who has little to no experience will have a  short resume  – generally one page. 

When you start to get up to 10 years of experience, then you've earned the second page, so go ahead and use it. 

It's not incremental though

Just because you have 20 years of experience doesn't mean you can have a three-page resume. As you work through how to make a resume, remember that a three-page resume should be avoided, unless you have a lot of career extras like publications, research, patents, publications, or public speaking engagements to talk about. 

Other than the number of pages, your resume should use the same format and layout no matter if you're applying to a job as someone fresh out of college or seeking to be the CEO of a company. 

Chronological resume 

The  reverse-chronological  is the most popular, traditional, and well-known resume format. Its focus is placed on achievements from your career history and is defined by listing your work history starting with your current or most recent job and working backward 10-15 years. 

Employers like this type of resume because it tells them what, when, and where you worked. It's best to use this if your work history is steady and shows growth and development. If you're looking to make a career change, have had frequent job changes, or if you're seeking your first job, this may not be the best format to use.

Pro Tip: You could also get lost in the ATS if your  resume is over-designed . Many resume writers will tell you that you need to stand out in the sea of sameness by adding some personality to your resume through design. While that's true, you need to avoid heavily formatted resumes which are often rejected by computer scanners as being illegible.

Functional resume 

This resume type focuses more on skills and experiences rather than on your work history. It's more of a “what you know and how you apply that knowledge” than a simple list of where you got the knowledge. It plays down gaps in work history and makes frequent job changes less noticeable. If it isn't done properly, though, it can be confusing for the hiring manager to read and understand. There's also a bit of a stigma behind it, because employers know that job seekers use this style to downplay job-hopping. So, the first thing they do when they get a functional resume is check employment dates. If you can avoid using this style, it's best to do so.

Combination resume 

There is another resume format that focuses on skills first and then experience last. It's the combination resume, which is sometimes called a hybrid resume. This is the most complex resume type and the best resume for mid-career professionals who are transitioning into another career or for people who have special skills and a strong track record of accomplishments. These types of resumes do take a long time to read and some hiring managers won't take the time unless they're looking to fill a hard-to-fill position.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae (CV) is Latin and means “course of life.” It's a little different from a resume, but some positions require a CV over a resume. The first thing you would notice is that a CV is significantly longer than a resume.  A resume is a self-branding document meant to portray your experience and achievements in a concise and easy-to-read format. A CV goes much further into the depth of your education and accomplishments (think publications, awards, and honors) and even has a section for you to include "Areas of Interest."

The best way to describe a CV is that it's a career biography. The biggest significant difference is that a CV is arranged chronologically in a way that gives a complete overview of your full working career. It also doesn't change based on the career or position for which you're applying.

Layout 

To make things easier for the hiring manager to digest the content of your resume, it should be laid out in a specific way to ensure that the right information is in the right place. 

Hiring managers don't  READ  resumes. They skim through until they find something that piques their interest and then they stop to read

Contact information

Title 

Professional summary , core competencies, experience , education and credentials , awards, certificates, and volunteer work .

Since the reverse-chronological resume is the one that the majority of people will use to apply for jobs, and because it's the format that hiring managers want to see, we'll focus this article on showing you how to make a resume using that style. 

Current contact information 

Location | Phone | Email | LinkedIn | Portfolio (if applicable)

You can be creative and use bold font in your  contact information  and even put a border under it to separate it from the body of your resume. 

• Name: Be sure to list your name the same across all professional documents (e.g., resume, cover letter, thank you note, LinkedIn profile). Don't get hung up with whether to use your legal name (i.e. the name on your birth certificate or driver's license). Write your name in the manner you want people to address you. Also, if you use any abbreviated credentials after your name (e.g. Jane Smith, MD), remember to include them on all professional documents.  You can also include any shortened versions of your name in quotations (e.g. Christopher "Chris" Smith). Just make sure to list it the same way everywhere you put your name.
• Address: It is no longer customary to include your full address on your resume. There have been instances of discrimination against job seekers based on their address. As far as your address is concerned, all you need is the City, State, and Zip Code. A lot of people leave off the Zip Code; however, hiring managers can query the ATS for all resumes within a radius of a Zip Code. If you exclude the Zip Code or put something like, "Greater New York Metro Area," your resume won't be included in the query.
• Phone and email: Put the telephone number and email address where you can easily be reached. Also, be sure that your email address is professional. Using something like [email protected] just won't cut it. The best idea is to use some form of your name. If you're paranoid about having your name in your email address, then you can use some form of the type of position you seek, like [email protected].
• LinkedIn URL: You don't have to spell out the entire URL on the contact line. You can put the words “LinkedIn URL” and hyperlink those words. Before you include your LinkedIn URL, be sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized for the career you want - because you can bet if they have access to it, the hiring manager will look at it. 
• Portfolio: If you're applying for a position like Graphic Designer or Software Designer, you may have a portfolio of work that you want to make available to someone reviewing your application for employment. Include a hyperlink to the portfolio in your contact information. 
• Headshot / photo: There is no reason to include a  headshot on your resume . Actually, it's seen as taboo and could be the thing that gets your resume rejected, because the hiring manager might assume you think you can get the job based on your looks. However, there are some exceptions, like if you're applying to be a model or actor. 

Do you want a hiring manager to be able to tell immediately what type of candidate you are? Put a title at the top of your resume. Center the text on the line, put it in bold font, and put a blank space above and below. The white space and the small amount of words will help it to jump off the page and immediately be noticed. It will also be the first step in helping you stand out in the sea of sameness.

Also, be sure the title on your resume mirrors the title on the job description that you're applying to, but add a bit of panache to it so that it's not too boring. For example, instead of writing “Financial Services Associate,” write “Client-Centric Financial Services Associate Dedicated to Customer Engagement and Revenue Growth.” Just remember to keep it on one line. 

The very next thing on the page should always be your Professional Summary. But how do you write a summary for a resume?

It's a three to five-sentence statement about you. Where you've been in your career, where you're going, and how you'll use your experience to get there. 

While the professional summary is sometimes referred to as the resume objective , you must remember that the days of writing a  resume objective are dead . Never, ever include an objective on your resume. They are a waste of space and don't relay any information that markets you as the best candidate for an open position. 

Let's take a look at an example of each:

Sales Representative seeking a challenging position that will use my skills and provide opportunities for growth in a dynamic and rewarding company. 

As you can see, the objective is very inward-facing and only talks about what you want out of your career. It provides no value to the hiring manager and eliminates any possibility for them to be able to tell what you bring to the table for them. 

Professional Summary:

Ambitious sales professional offering 10+ years' experience in customer retention and aggressive revenue growth. Conquers goals and quotas through a keen awareness of the human buying motive that allows for quickly overcoming objections. Used historical data and consumer trends to reach new customers and grow territory by 24%. Innate ability to work independently or as a member of a cross-functional team.

The best use of resume space is to write a summary of your career. The effectiveness of this summary comes from the fusing of three things:

Relevant keywords – customer retention, revenue growth, and quotas 

Hard and soft skills – overcoming objections and working independently

An achievement – 24% territory growth

With this professional summary, the hiring manager will be able to tell in an instant what you have to offer their team. 

Even though the skills section of your resume is small, it packs a powerful punch! The skills you list in this section highlight your key abilities and show potential employers what you bring to the table. 

It should contain approximately 12 ATS-friendly keywords and phrases that align with the keywords in the job description. Meaning, this is a fluid section that will need to be  tailored to every job  that you apply to. Technically speaking, your entire resume should be customized to align with each job description. That's one thing that will help you get past the ATS. 

Be sure to include a good mix of  hard and soft skills  because prospective employers not only want to know that you can perform the tasks related to your job (hard skills), but they also want to gain a clear understanding of how you'll fit within the culture of the company (soft skills). 

Tips for building your Core Competencies section:

Include skills that are relevant to the job that you're applying to

Avoid creating a laundry list of everything you know how to do – be selective so that the section is more impactful

Group similar competencies together using categories – technical skills, soft skills, and languages

Prioritize your top skills based on their relevance to the job you want

Update frequently

Be consistent with the formatting

Here is a sample Core Competencies list that contains both hard and soft skills:

Core Competencies

Project Management | Data Analysis | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Digital Marketing Strategy | Python Programming | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | Negotiation | Team Leadership | Business Development | Financial Modeling | Articulate Communication

This section is meant to show how your career history lends itself to the skills you have that make you the perfect candidate for a given job. There are some general rules of thumb on how to make a resume with a great professional experience section:

Don't go further back than 10 to 15 years

Use no more than 3 to 5 bullets per work listing

Incorporate at least 5 measurable achievements per 10 years of experience (the more the better)

Use stacking for companies where you held more than one role

10-15 Years

The 10-15 years of experience is the most relevant – you can list more than that, but avoid using bullet points for roles over 10 years old. Begin by listing your most recent position first and work your way backward to your oldest position, within that 10-15-year range. If you have 30 years of experience, you can use achievements or skills you learned during that time as talking points during the interview. Listing those older experiences on your resume will only dilute the content.

As you write out your bullet points, keep two words in mind: “so what?” The hiring manager is going to be thinking it, you might as well be thinking it, too. Every time you write something on your resume, think, “So what? Why am I writing this? What value will it bring to my new employer? Will this be THE THING that lands me an interview?"

Achievements

Remove “Responsible for…” from your resume-writing vocabulary. That's because it's crucial that you talk about what you achieved, instead of just what your responsibilities were. Let's face it, there are a lot of things that people are “responsible for” that never get done. So, be sure to talk about things you actually accomplished, as that will be the proof the hiring manager needs to take the next step and call you for an interview.

1. Use numbers whenever possible

The best way to call attention to your career accomplishments is to use numbers. Numbers add credibility to your claims and provide a clear picture of what you bring to the table. 

Don't write this:

• Conducted cold calls to expand client base

Write this instead:

• Increased sales by 15% by making approximately 20 cold calls per day to expand the client base

The latter makes an unmistakable assertion that you had a positive impact, not only in your role but on the company as a whole. You can take it a step further and talk about things like problem-solving skills and how you addressed challenges to lead to team success. These types of  soft skills are highly valued by employers  and could be the thing that lands you an interview.

PRO TIP: Use the  CAR method  for building achievement statements into your resume.

2. Use action words to convey accomplishment

A lot of people make the mistake of copying bullet points from the job descriptions of the roles they've held. This practice makes you sound detached from achievements and focuses more on responsibilities. Using passive language is too generic and doesn't allow a hiring manager to see what you'll be able to accomplish in the new role. 

It's better to use action language to show that you're an achiever rather than a doer. Here are some examples of action words you can use on your resume: 

Worked with others: Advised, Aided, Assisted, Chaired, Coached, Collaborated with, Consulted with, Helped, Instructed, Interacted with, Mentored, Motivated, Supported

Communicated: Addressed, Advertised, Answered, Briefed, Corresponded with, Debated, Explained, Facilitated, Informed, Interpreted, Interviewed, Persuaded, Responded to

Analyzed data: Assessed, Appraised, Audited, Calculated, Computed, Estimated, Evaluated, Forecast, Inspected, Measured, Researched, Surveyed, Tested

Operated equipment: Installed, Maintained, Programmed, Ran, Serviced, Used

Worked with money or contracts: Administered, Appropriated, Authorized, Balanced, Controlled, Directed, Enforced, Financed, Funded, Governed, Invested, Monitored, Oversaw, Purchased

Organized something: Arranged, Assembled, Catalogued, Compiled, Coordinated, Itemized, Routed, Scheduled, Stocked, Tracked

Created: Composed, Customized, Designed, Directed, Established, Founded, Illustrated, Originated, Shaped

Researched: Analyzed, Collected, Criticized, Detected, Diagnosed, Evaluated, Tested

How to make your professional experience section: The formula

There's a formula for writing your professional experience section in a way that focuses on achievements. You'll start by asking yourself these questions about every job you've had:

What was the name of the company?

What was the title of your role?

What dates were you employed? (*Hint: use the MM/YYYY format for your dates)

What did you do every day? (*Example: Leveraged management skills to direct operations of 5 separate but concurrent projects by delegating tasks to staff based on employee acumen and monitoring / controlling budgets)

What is one thing you did at the company that you're really proud of?

What is another thing you're really proud of?

What is one more thing you did that you're really proud of?

When you put all of that together, it should look like this:

Company Name | MM/YYYY to Present

Position Title

Balanced competing priorities on multiple and concurrent projects and program management initiatives using data-driven strategies in Agile environments. Managed key accounts, onboarded new accounts, and oversaw organizational process adoption for nursing facilities, emergency departments, and pharmacies.

Developed $2M Provider Incentive Program that increased community provider partnerships

Saved $800K by using Six Sigma skills to implement DMAIC approach

Coached and mentored 2 direct reports, creating an open environment of communication that facilitated future-facing decision-making

Many people will create separate sections for education history and certifications. That's not necessary. You can include all of it in one section. You can also include extras like  relevant coursework , projects, and achievements. These extras can be truly beneficial for your application if you have little to no work experience. 

There are some general rules of thumb for the education section: 

Spell out acronyms (BS, MS, PhD) and school abbreviations

It is no longer customary to include graduation dates unless you're still in school or graduated within the last year

Never include high school, unless you're still in high school - listing high school doesn't say “ I finished high school, ” it says, “ I didn't go to college .” 

List your degree first and then your school, unless you've obtained multiple degrees at the same institution. 

Here's what a regular education section looks like:

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

Master of Business Administration (MBA) | ABC University

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) | XYZ University

Six Sigma Black Belt | Council for Six Sigma Certification

If you don't have a lot of experience and need to include some relevant coursework or major projects to inject relevant keywords into your resume, then this is what that would look like:

Relevant coursework:  Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting, Corporate Finance

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program. 

You can include educational information about a degree program even if it's still in progress. Here's what that would look like:

Expected completion:  05/2024

Capstone project:  Let a team of 4 to execute a market analysis project to expand the Brooms and Handles company into new regions. Used market and consumer analysis data to identify gaps and achieve a 15% projected revenue increase and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction within the pilot program.

It is important to list what you do outside of work and school. It helps to demonstrate that you're a well-rounded person. 

Were you the president of a fraternity or sorority? 

Did you get involved with showing new students around campus? 

Have you headed a sales team that produced top awards? 

Were you an employee of the month? 

Do you speak multiple languages?

Did you volunteer for an organization?

Did you perform some major research that ended up being published?

All of these extras allow prospective employers a sneak peek into your life outside of work. They can also go a long way to breaking the ice during an interview, especially if something you do outside work is important or interesting to the hiring manager. 

Keep in mind to list only those volunteer positions, projects, or affiliations that are related to your career goals. 

How long does it take to make a resume?

If you're going to use the resume wizard that MS Word has, you can slap your information together in a day or two. It will get to employers. The bad thing is that it probably won't get a whole lot of attention. 

The "just right resume" can take weeks, because of how much background work goes into it. You'll write it, rewrite it, and write it again, and may even have multiple versions. Ultimately, the exact amount of time that goes into putting your resume together depends on your level of experience, how complex your history is, and the specificity of the job you're applying to. 

Entry-level resumes take the least amount of time, simply because there's less information to include

Mid-level resumes take a few days because of the amount of detail in your work history

Executive resumes, or those for specialized positions, can take weeks - especially if you have to do some digging to come up with accomplishments from your previous positions

Updating an existing resume that's well-maintained can be done in just a few hours

While the time spent can seem like a lot, if you're truly marketing yourself for that “just right” position, do you want your resume to say “This was thrown together in a couple of hours using a template” OR do you want it to say “I know this document is important and a significant amount of time was spent on it to make it perfect?”

The first and foremost thing that will get your resume tossed in the garbage can are typos. The number of resumes with errors that are turned in every day to employers across the globe is so astounding that it bears discussing. 

You must proofread your resume!

The major problem with typos and grammatical boo-boos is that your eyes will read what you intended to type. So, after you've read through your resume a few times and think it's perfect, get a friend to read it. Make sure the friend is one of those brutally honest types. It's better to get it back marked all over with bright red ink so you can fix it before you send it out, than to send it out and then realize there's a mistake in it.

How to make your resume seem more professional

Lazy words: Do you see words like "etc" or “other duties as required” on your resume? Delete them immediately. If you take shortcuts in the language of your resume, hiring managers will wonder if you'll be taking shortcuts at work. 

Cookie cutter resumes: Your resume has to stand out. Because of that, you should avoid throwing something together that you find a sample of online. Make it yours, make it represent you. Many people rely on the resume wizard that comes loaded with MS Word and, while that is a good tool to use to help you remember the sections to include, it shouldn't be the end-all-and-be-all of your resume design. 

Specificity: You've had three jobs in the last 10 years and you've listed every detail of everything you've done during your tenure at those jobs. That makes you a Jack (or Jackie) of all trades, but a master of nothing. You have to be specific to the job for which you're applying. What value do you bring to that employer for that job? What achievements can you highlight?

Tailoring: Considering the rampant use of ATS by companies big and small, you have to take the time to customize your resume so that it gets past those scanners. Remember to use relevant keywords from the job descriptions throughout your resume. 

PRO TIP: You can check to see how to make your resume better! Have it checked against an ATS and get a free, personalized, and  professional resume review . 

Theory in practice – 10 resume examples

It's one thing to have someone tell you how to make a resume, it's another thing to see an example – proof that all of this information can come together in a practical way that makes sense. 

1. Software Engineer resume example

Click here for an example of a Software Engineer resume.

2. Data Scientist resume example

Click here for an example of a Data Scientist resume.

3. Cybersecurity resume example

Click here for an example of a cybersecurity resume.

4. Digital Marketing Manager resume example

Click here for an example of a Digital Marketing Manager resume.

5. Nurse Practitioner resume example

Click here for an example of a Nurse Practitioner resume. 

6. Finance Director resume example

Click here for an example of a Finance Director resume. 

7. Attorney resume example

Click here for an example of a Attorney resume.

8. Administrative Office Assistant resume example

Click here for an example of an Administrative Office Assistant resume. 

9. Information Technology Expert resume example

Click here for an example of an Information Technology Expert resume. 

10. Chief Executive Officer resume example

Click here for an example of a CEO resume. 

Now you know how to make a resume for your next job!

It may seem like it takes a lot of work to make a good resume, but if you've followed along this far there are a few things that should be ingrained in you that will help you write a professional resume:

Know what you want to do – be specific

Make your resume with the right format 

Use a standard layout, whether you are writing your first resume or 50th

Use action words to make your resume stand out

Quantify your achievements to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a new role

Tailor your new resume to each job

Double and triple-check for errors, typos, and grammar mistakes

If you're still unsure how to make a perfect resume, TopResume has you covered. Our team of  professional resume writers  has the know-how and experience to write a resume for you that will win interviews.

Recommended reading: 

Resume Tricks That Don't Work

What Does Your Resume Really Say About You?

Bad Resume Advice You Should Completely Ignore

Related Articles:

Do Hiring Managers Actually Read Cover Letters?

How to Create a Resume With No Education

Why You Lose When You Lie on Your Resume: Learning From Mina Chang

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