Elevate Your Profile with Publications on Resume [+ Formats & Examples]

While including publications on a resume is not a common practice, it can sometimes give you the advantage of standing out among applicants. When you apply for jobs in the academic, scientific, or medical fields, publications in your resume or CV are not just beneficial but a must!

For this distinction, publications are listed differently on a resume and CV. In a CV, publications are listed in greater detail and offer more insight, whereas publications on a resume only include those that are relevant to the job.

CVs and resumes, although often used interchangeably, are different. A CV, or curriculum vitae, summarizes your education, experiences, awards, honors, qualifications and achievements in detail. CVs are often used when people apply for jobs in the scientific and academic fields. There is no page limit to CVs. In contrast, a resume is more concise and used by job applicants in the US and Canada. A resume is usually one page long.

However, whether you are submitting a resume or CV, you want to add publications to a resume/CV in a way that both highlights your professionalism and shows that you know basic formatting.

Your publications, pieces of writings on a specific topic you have produced, on the resume/CV demonstrate your credentials as a researcher, lecturer or scientist and help convince the hiring manager to invite you to an interview. But have you ever wondered where in your resume or CV do publications belong and how to add them in your resume? Keep on reading to find out!

Where to List Publications on a Resume/CV

• The Publication Section
• The Education Section
• The Additional Activities Section

🖋  The Publication Section

You can create a section solely dedicated to publications in the resume. There are a few benefits of creating a publication section in your resume/CV, such as the ability to add as many relevant publications as you see fit, and making the recruiter focus on the publications to have a better understanding of your contribution to a specific subject right away.

🖋  The Education Section

Publications can also be added in the education section. If you don’t have a lot of publications under your name, including them under education is a good choice. There are a few pros of putting publications in the education section on a resume/CV. This includes showing your development when your publications are related to subjects you studied in school and helping to save space on your resume/CV.

Here is an example of how to add publications in resume in the education section: 

🖋  The Additional Activities Section

Alternatively, you can include your publications in the additional activities section on your resume. It's worth to do so when the job-related publications are not abundant and not related to subjects you studied in school. Including your publications in a publication section in your resume/CV not only help you save some space on your resume/CV, but also show that you are a person of diverse interests.

Here is an example of how to put publication on resume in the additional activities section:

Now you know how to put your publications properly on your resume/CV. But what are considered publications? What should you put on your resume/CV as publications?

What Publications to Include in a Resume/CV

Well, due to the difference between resumes and CVs, the publications that can be added on them are different. However, for both CV and resume, publications can include the following.

• Academic books: 
  Published books you have written or contributed to are the best proof of your academic credentials on your resume.
• Theses:
  Theses showcase your ability as a researcher and critical thinker.
• Published research papers:
  A list of published research papers in your resume attests to your expertise on a certain subject matter because they underwent rigorous reviews and revisions before being accepted by a third-party institution.
• Unpublished (pending) research papers:
  Pending research papers, despite being unpublished, have also been scrutinized and display your strength as a researcher. 
• Scholarly articles:
  Mentions of scholarly articles, published in various educational publications, on your resume are also evidence of your expertise in a certain field.

However, the following publications are better suited for a resume, which you use to apply for general jobs, instead of a CV, which is used to apply for academic and science-related fields jobs.

• Blog posts
• Websites
• Magazine articles
• Non-scientific publications
• Trade conference and presentations

Having gone through rigorous training as a researcher, you must know there are certain rules you need to follow when you cite sources in your essays. It is the same with how you cite publications in resumes/CVs. Formatting your publications in orders and ways that are accepted by the general public helps the recruiter grasp your expertise instantly.

There are two generally accepted formats you can adopt to put publications on your resume/CV, the MLA format and APA format.

1. Written Publications

Academic books, a chapter in a book, theses, journal articles and research papers are all written publications. 

2. Pending Publications

Sometimes your books or articles are waiting to be printed out, you can still include them to highlight your knowledge and skills. As for how to list unpublished papers on your CV/resume, follow the guide, write down all other information you have at the moment, and write “in press” on the publication date.

3. Presentations or Conference Appearances

If it is a conference appearance or presentation that you’d like to put on your resume/CV as a publication but you are not quite sure how, you can use the following template:

Publications on your resume can set you apart from other applicants. Thus, you want to include the publications in an easy-to-understand way. Here are some tips to help you stand out:

💡 List publications that are relevant to the job requirements

Only list the publications that are relevant to the job you are applying for on your resume. This is because you want to keep your resume length as short as possible.

💡 List publications in a reverse-chronological order

List your publications in reverse-chronological order so the recruiter can see what your latest research interests are right away.

💡 Include all specific details about the publication to avoid confusion

Include details of the publications, such as journal volume and publication date, to make it easier for the hiring manager to review your resume.

💡 Use consistent format & citation style

Use consistent format when adding publications to your resume. If you decide to go with MLA format for some of your publications, do not switch to APA or other formats for the rest of the publications. 

Inconsistency in formats increase difficulties in reading. If you don’t remember how to cite published works in APA or MLA styles, remember take a look at the stylebook before putting it on your resume.

💡 Categorize the publications into different types

Group your publications according to their types or subject matters so that they appear to the recruiter in a sensible way, for instance, magazine articles in one category and journal articles in another.

✨ List all your publications

Since a CV is for academic or science-related jobs, the hiring manager will be interested in all the works you have produced or contributed to and your development as a researcher.

✨ List in reverse-chronological order

List publications in reverse-chronologically, which allows the recruiter to recognize your most recent research interests and achievements first.

✨ Include all specific details about the publication to avoid confusion

Don’t forget to include details regarding your publications, such as the publication date or the date of a certain conference you gave talks in so that the recruiter has no problem looking further into the specific publication.

✨ Use consistent format & citation style

Keep the publications consistent by sticking to the same formatting styles to avoid making it difficult for the recruiter to review your CV.

✨ Categorize your publications into different types

For example, put books in one category and research papers in another.

✨ Specify if you are a co-author

Taking credits for others’ works is an act that can be severely punished in academia as well as research-based jobs.