How to Write an Academic CV | The Complete Guide

There are more people than opportunities in today’s world, especially in academics. We always ponder if the CV we have made is good enough. Today, I bring to you, a short guide on how to craft the perfect academic CV without frills. What to avoid and what to include.

Keep the Format Professional and Clean

Avoid decorative borders or colored frames., Use a simple, readable font such as Calibri, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Include page numbers and keep the document clear and structured.

Add a Short Research Summary 

Include a brief 3–4 line paragraph at the start that summarizes your academic identity. For example:

Researcher with experience in observational astrophysics and data analysis. Skilled in Python-based modeling, full-spectrum fitting, and handling large datasets for stellar and galactic studies.

Arrange Sections in a Logical Order 

A well-structured CV allows readers to quickly find what matters most. A typical order looks like this:

1. Personal Details : Include your full name, professional email, phone number, and location (city and country).
   Marital or family details are optional — include them only if they explain a research break or gap.

   CONTACT INFORMATION
   Dr. Jane Doe
   Department of Physics, University of Oxford
   South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
   E-mail: jane.doe@physics.ox.ac.uk
   Web: www.janedoeastro.com

   PERSONAL INFORMATION
   Date of birth: 15 March 1990.
   Citizenship: British.
   Marital status: Married.

   or like this :

   Contact information: Dr. Jane A. Mercer. Department of Astrophysics, University of Cambridge. Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, United Kingdom. E-mail: jane.mercer@ast.cam.ac.uk. Web: http://www.janemercerastro.com
   Personal information: Date of birth: 12 February 1986. Citizenship: British. Marital status: Married

   You can also mention your child if it indirectly explains a research gap:

         Personal information: Date of birth: 12 February 1986. Citizenship: British. Marital status: Married. Dependents: One child (career break taken for childcare between 2020–2021).

      2. Education: List degrees in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first. Include your field, university, and year of completion.

      3. Research and Professional Experience For each position, include your role title and institution, duration (month and year), Supervisor’s name (if relevant) and Key responsibilities or achievements using concise bullet points and action verbs (analyzed, developed, co-authored, etc.)

      4. Skills Group and list technical and academic skills clearly. For example:

• • Astrophysics Data Analysis

  • Programming

  • Software

  • Operating Systems

  • Scientific Documentation

  • Languages

      5. Publications

• List in reverse chronological order (latest first).

• Use consistent formatting — IEEE style is a good standard.

• Include the DOI link for easy access.

      [1] R. Author, A. Collaborator, and B. Researcher, “Title of the Paper,” *The Journal Name*, vol. 170, no. 2, Art. no. 85, 2025. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxxx.

Revised Order of Sections

To make your most important work visible early, list your Publications section immediately after Education.
This helps the reader, especially a potential supervisor or reviewer, see your academic output before diving into other details.

Recommended Order:

1. Personal Details

2. Education

3. Publications ← (moved up for visibility)

4. Research and Professional Experience

5. Skills

6. References

Add Links Where Appropriate

Embed links to:

• Publications (via DOI)

• ResearchGate or Google Scholar profiles

• Professional websites or relevant academic blogs

This makes your CV interactive and instantly verifiable.

Tailor Your CV for Academic Applications

Academic readers value:

• Clarity in research focus

• Evidence of teamwork and collaboration

• Mentions of analytical tools, instruments, or datasets used

• A tone that is factual and professional — avoid buzzwords or exaggeration

Instead of writing:

“Worked with key astronomical software.”

Write:

“Used Python, IRAF, and Aladin for spectroscopic and photometric analysis.”

Review and Simplify : Avoid repeating the same information across sections.Keep bullet points concise and meaningful. Maintain consistent punctuation and capitalization. End full sentences with a period; omit it for short fragments.

Final Checks Before Submission

Save as PDF to preserve formatting.
Use a professional filename — e.g., Firstname_Lastname_AcademicCV.pdf.
Proofread carefully for typos or inconsistencies.
Attach it with your Statement of Purpose and cover email.